Wait, What?
by Lucy Grayson
Summary: Tahni believes everything she sees in the WWE, so what happens when she is pulled into the world only to discover it's not as it seems? Please R n R. Rated for language!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I do not own the WWE or any of the superstars. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**So, this was a funny little idea that I had whilst I was working on my other stories and I thought I'd type up a couple of chapters and see what people thought. Review and let me know if you like it. If you do, I'll keep writing =D**

Tahni was freaking out. She'd watched the WWE since she was five, maybe six years old. She was now twenty and still got sucked into the drama. She believed the characters and thought that they showed their true personalities and that of course, they behaved that way back stage. Some part of her mind knew that this couldn't be right, she wasn't a stupid young woman, just lacking in common sense. She had gotten good grades in school. She was athletic and not untalented. She had taken up wrestling in junior high and become addicted to it. The problem was, she had trouble differentiating between the character her opponents played in the ring and the people they actually were. She was also pretty. Not conventionally. She had very short, black hair, always cut into a kind of pixie cut, but it never seemed to sit straight. Her eyes were a mossy green, her skin a soft peach. She was five feet nine inches tall and gently curved.

Anyway, the reason she was freaking out was because her older brother, Jason had just handed her two tickets to see SmackDown. She bounced into his arms, squealing and kicking her legs. Jason was ten years older than Tahni and didn't really get her fascination with the whole thing, but it was her birthday in three days and he wasn't going to be in town so, he figured he'd give them to her early. The taping of the show was on the night of her birthday anyway. SmackDown had been to Jacksonville before, but none of the family or Tahni herself had ever had to money to get tickets.

As soon as she released her exasperated brother she ran up to her room to call her best friend in the whole world, Michael. She tripped over her words as she excitedly explained to him what had happened. She heard his manly version of a scream come down the other end of the phone before his voice turned wheedling. "Tahni…I love you. I love you so much. Please can I come? Oh please, please, please, please, please!" Tahni laughed and let him beg some more before she gave in. Who else was she going to take?

Tahni had a problem with her hometown. People didn't get it. They didn't get her. She was energetic and enthusiastic, she never stopped talking and she seemed to have an endless supply of energy. People got very quickly weirded out by her and they just didn't understand. She was colourful and eccentric. She was unique and people didn't like that. Tahni didn't care. She was almost oblivious to the reputation that had built up around her. She had Michael, she didn't need anyone else.

The thought of having to wait three whole days before she could see her idols in action was like torture! She was going to have to do some serious thinking to find a way to keep herself occupied. She settled on the very unproductive, counting the hours. She worked in a local, alternative clothing store and it didn't take long for her boss to figure out that she was impatient for something. It might have had something to do with the way that she was following him around the shop, chatting incessantly in his ear about who her favourite superstars were and who she didn't like. Richard was about ready to tape her mouth just to shut her up.

He rounded on her, clapping a hand over her mouth. Her green eyes went wide with surprise and he laughed, shaking his head good naturedly. "Tahni, I love you, but please…shut up for five seconds. Take a breath, kiddo." He lowered his hand and Tahni grinned. She opened her mouth to speak again, but he held up a stern finger and she bit her lip to keep the words in. Anyone who knew her, really knew her, loved her. There was something sweet and irresistible about her, something charming in her almost innocent and niave ways. She, of course, was totally unaware of this.

Her quietness didn't last long, but she moved on to a new target. The new boy, working on the register became the focus of her unending chatter. Richard felt sorry for him, but was quietly grateful that he seemed to be far too keen on keeping his job to ask her to go away. Richard was very fond of Tahni, she was fantastic at her job, never late and always in a good mood, but by god, could she talk. She was like a walking t.v set. Except, at least you could turn off a t.v set or at the very least, turn it down. Tahni had two volumes; loud and louder. He knew she wrestled on the side, that that was her real passion. On a quiet day he would see her, flicking through a wrestling magazine and sighing dreamily to herself.

It worried Richard. Not because she wasn't strong, she'd hit him once, so he knew she had some power behind her. It was more because she was so trusting, so open to everyone. She'd never been in a proper fight in her life and the business she spent all day dreaming about was a cut-throat sports entertainment industry where people would do anything to get themselves recognised. He didn't like the idea of Tahni getting wrapped up in that and having her dreams shattered.

The day did not go quick enough and during the last ten minutes of her shift, Tahni stood by the front door tapping her foot and sending threatening looks to anyone who dared venture close enough to consider coming inside. Richard rolled his eyes at her and decided that, rather than having her stand there and scare his customers away, he might as well just send her home. "Tahni, you can go." She spun on the spot and fixed him with the biggest, brightest smile he had ever seen. He made a slight 'Oof' noise as she launched herself at him and hugged him around the neck, planting a big kiss on his cheek. She then skipped off, grabbing her bag and her car keys. She waved as she left, blowing a kiss and retreating backwards out of the door, before turning, as light as a dancer and running off to her car.

On the way to her house she sang along loudly and badly with the radio. She didn't care. She was going to see SmackDown on Tuesday and she'd just finished work for the weekend! She did odd filler shifts, so she wasn't due in again now until Wednesday.

As soon as she pulled into the drive at her parents house, she dove out of her car and in through the front door. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" There was no reply. They must have been out. She shrugged and ran up to her room, immediately calling Michael. He picked up on the second ring. "Hey Cauldwell, how was work?" Tahni grinned and shrugged, even though he couldn't see her. She lay on her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Boring. I want it to be Tuesday!"

"Yeah, but if it was Tuesday, it would nearly be over and you wont get to do it again for a long time." Michael's words caused her to pause and think for a moment. That was true! The sooner Tuesday got here, the sooner it would be gone! "Oh no! Mikey, I don't want it to be over!" Michael laughed at her. "Well, then stop wishing time away."

"But….when it does get here….well then it'll be here and then it'll be over and I wont be able to go again and I had better make sure I have memory on my camera. Maybe I should take two, just in case. I want to take lots of pictures." She vaguely became aware of Michael humming to himself in the background. "Are you listening to me?"

"No. Should I be?"

"Mikey!"

"What? You were doing your; 'I'm about to explode purely through lack of air 'cause I wont stop talking' thing. I didn't know I had to listen to that!" Tahni rolled her eyes and hung up on him. She then pursed her lips and waited, counting on her fingers. She hadn't even got to five when the phone rang again. She picked it up instantly, Michael's voice had turned to a whine. "Don't do that! You know I hate it when you do that."

"Well, don't be mean then!"

"Fine." Michael dragged the word out in a reluctant sigh and Tahni grinned. She talked on the phone to him four almost two hours, completely missing that both her parents had returned. Eventually her mom stuck her head around the door and convinced her that it would be easier to just go over to Mikey's house and talk to him, instead of monopolizing the phone. This was true. Mikey only lived three doors down from them. She didn't say anything to her fried, just hung up on him with a smirk. She then changed out of her work clothes and into a blue and purple striped t-shirt dress, with a pair blue leggings and flat, leather boots. She ruffled her already messy hair and ran out of the house, ignoring her mother's shout to slow down.

The next few days passed painfully slowly and Tahni was almost bursting with excitement, but she was still all too aware of what Michael had said to her. She wanted to savour every moment. So, in her bag she had packed, not one, not two, not three, but four cameras. Just to be on the safe side. She didn't want to miss a single moment. On the Tuesday she did all the usual birthday things, she opened present and squealed with excitement at each one of them, especially the new outfit from her parents. She kept herself so busy that ten minutes before they had to leave she was still not ready to go. She was wearing the outfit her parents had bought her; a pair of black jeans with red patches all over them and bright purple stitching, with a rainbow coloured silk hater top. She shoved her feet into her battered leather boots and grimaced at her face in the mirror. She never wore make up. She saw no point. Her hair was carefully straightened at the front and spiked madly at the back.

Finally she was ready. She kissed both of her parents, grabbed her bag and shot out to where Michael was waiting in his car.


	2. Chapter 2

The arena was packed when they got there, but Jason had secured them some special tickets, courtesy of his contacts at the stadium and they were led right to the front. Tahni banged her hands on the barrier and jumped up and down, barely able to contain her excitement. She got out one of her cameras and took some shots of the arena, before turning to Michael and tugging on the sleeve of his shirt, pointing excitedly to the ring. "Look, Mikey! Look!" Michael peered in the direction she was pointing, then lifted his eyebrows. "It's a wrestling ring." This earned him a swift slap upside the head and Tahni shook her head in an exasperated way. "It's _the_ wrestling ring, Mikey! Oh just look at it! It's so pretty." Michael looked at her like she was insane, but she was just gazing at the ring as if it were the most beautiful painting she had ever seen. "O..kay." He smirked and sat down on one of the seats they had been allocated. Tahni didn't sit. She was too excited.

She screamed and started bouncing again as the show started. Michael found her enthusiasm very amusing. Of course, he loved the WWE as well, but he was a dedicated Raw fan. Tahni just loved it all. She wasn't the only one. Most of the crowd were on their feet right from the start. Tahni was momentarily fascinated by the many banners that people had made, laughing at some of the things written on them. She wished she'd made one. She pouted a little, but focused again as the first match started. She was clapping and booing along with everyone else and Michael briefly wondered if she might lose her voice. The thought made him laugh. He couldn't imagine Tahni without her voice. She never shut up.

The night went by far too quickly and before they knew it, it was the last match. Tahni had really been looking forward to this one. For weeks, Kane had been stalking Chris Jericho, trying to send the other man mad and tonight was their first one-on-one match. As was mentioned previously, Tahni had trouble telling the difference between the superstars in the ring and when they were backstage. She was terrified of Kane, but followed him avidly none-the-less. For some strange reason, that Michael couldn't quite understand, he was one of her favourite wrestlers. When the sound of Slow Chemical came on and the pyros went off, Tahni almost fainted. She was just so excited!

The match was a no DQ so there was plenty of action. Up to this point, the night had been fantastic, but it was about to take a very strange twist. One that no-one, not even the superstars in the ring were expecting. Tahni was frantically taking pictures, but was also completely absorbed in the match. She gasped and winced every time Jericho went down. She jumped back suddenly when he came flying towards the barrier where they were, courtesy of Kane. Her camera dropped out of her hand as Kane advanced on Chris with a chair raised above his head. They were both within touching distance. Tahni forget herself, she was so into the moment. She was screaming, leaning over the barrier a little. "No! No, stop! Kane, stop! Don't hurt him!"

That's when it happened. Kane's eyes met hers. He saw the frantic, frightened green orbs, so impossibly big, looking out at him from a face that was pretty in the most innocent, pixie-like way. She was breathing hard, her hand outstretched towards him and behind the fear, the absolute terror was something…tender? This was bizarre. People were starting to notice. He'd been looking at her for too long. Chris noticed as well and quickly took advantage. He smacked Kane over the head with his own steel chair, knocking him down. He then dragged him into the ring and got the pin. 1...2...3!

**Here is your winner; Chris Jericho!**

Tahni was reeling. She'd just looked into the eyes of a monster! Jericho swiftly left the ring, but Kane remained where he was. He snatched the mic and then turned his eyes on the crowd. They searched for a moment, only a moment, before landing on Tahni. He had an idea. One that was probably going to get him into a lot of trouble, but he was curious. "You." His voice was a growl, furious and menacing. Tahni squeaked and cowered, frozen to the spot. Kane thundered out of the ring and bore down upon her. "You cost me my match!" Tahni screamed when his hand suddenly found her hair. It didn't hurt, but it was a firm grip. She felt his lips near her ear and then a frantic whisper. "Grab my wrist, follow my lead. Don't worry. I wont hurt you." She stared at him and hand no idea what was going on, but felt him tugging her hair slightly and automatically followed his instructions. She was terrified. At this point she'd have done the funky chicken dance if he'd told her to. She grabbed his wrist in both hands and held on. She was light so he was easily able to lift her by the hold on his arm and put no pressure on her hair. He dragged her over the barrier and up, into the ring. He pulled her head back, her hand still wrapped around his massive wrist. "What's your name?!" He bellowed into the mic, then held it near her mouth.

"T-Tahni Cauldwell." She stammered, utterly and completely on the edge of passing out from fright. Kane pulled the mic away again and now addressed the crowd. "This…woman, cost me my match. That distracting little face.." His face came dangerously close to hers, his voice sounding on the edge of sanity. He snapped his head back up again. "And that means, she has to be punished! So all of you out there with a mind to distracting me, bear this in mind! I _always _win in the end!" He then threw the microphone down and dragged Tahni from the ring. He wasn't hurting her, but she was still shaking with fear. He picked her up as she stumbled and threw her over his shoulder. She kicked and scream and fought as he took her up the ramp and backstage.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm going to die…I'm going to die…I'm going to die.." Tahni repeated the words like a mantra, still slung over her worst nightmare's shoulder. She squeezed her eyes tight shut and hoped for the best, or at the very least that it would be quick. She was shocked when she was lowered gently to the ground. So shocked in fact, that she lost her footing and fell straight on her butt. She squeaked and winced, then peered up at the giant, who was looking at her with a bemused expression. He picked her up and put her back on her feet. She quickly backed away from him, her green eyes wide and staring. "P-please, don't hurt me! I didn't meant to ruin your match! It was an accident! I'm sorry!"

She whimpered slightly and then stared at him as he suddenly laughed. That wasn't the laugh she was used to hearing from Kane, it was a full-on, belly laugh of total amusement. He then shook his head and held out a hand to her. "I'm Glen." Tahni stared at his hand as if it were a snake that was going to bite her, then looked at him again. Was he having an identity crisis? Could he get any crazier? "Um…no…you're Kane." He laughed again. What was so funny?! This guy was totally nuts! Tahni watched him warily and he could see that she was genuinely worried about his mental health. He stopped laughing and spoke in as gentle a voice as he could manage. "Kane's just a character Miss Cauldwell. Seriously. I'm Glen. Glen Jacobs." Tahni continued to stare at him, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Are you lying?" He had to be. If not, that would suggest that her entire belief system was wrong. Gasp. That couldn't be! Glen shook his head, smiling. "No. I'm not lying."

"Does Vince McMahon know about this?" Her voice was so fierce and so indignant that it set Glen off laughing again. Oh, she was priceless! He looked at her, expecting to see some indication that she was joking, but she was quite clearly, dead serious. Oh boy. "Um…yeah. Miss Caudwell, I hate to break this to you but…well, let me show you something." He motioned for her to follow. She looked unsure for a moment, before trotting after him. She looked around in awe as she did, squeaking a little as they passed several of her favourite superstars, all of whom looked at her with curiosity and amusement. She frowned, wondering where 'Glen' was taking her. She still didn't really believe him. She frowned as he opened the door to the men's locker room. "I can't go in there!" Glen's eyebrows shot up.

"Why not?" As if to demonstrate she walked up to the door and used the back of her hand to slap the sign that said 'Men's Locker Room'. "Duh! I'm missing certain appendages." Glen laughed again. She was actually going to kill him. "Look, it's fine. Trust me. Come on." He half pushed her inside. She immediately clapped her hands over her eyes. Inside Edge was sat on the bench, pulling on his boots and talking to Batista, who was wandering around in a towel. Tahni had seen the towel clad Batista and turned to run out, smacking straight into Glen. He laughed and grabbed her shoulders, spinning her back round and forcing her to lower her hands from her eyes. "Miss Cauldwell, I want you to meet Adam and Dave." Tahni looked at him like he was crazy. "No…that's Edge and Batista and they hate each other."

Adam and Dave both looked at her, then at Glen, then back to her and burst out laughing. Tahni actually stamped her foot and folded her arms, looking very cross. They both stopped and looked at Glen for help. "Miss Cauldwell-"

"My name's Tahni!"

"Tahni…the WWE is a scripted show." Tahni gasped and backed away from him, putting her hands over her heart. Glen thought she was kidding, but once again, she was totally serious. She glared at him. "You're lying!" Glen shook his head. He felt like a mean adult, telling a child that Santa wasn't real. She looked so utterly heartbroken. He looked at Adam and Dave as if asking for a hand. Adam was the first to step up to the plate. He stood up and walked over to her. He coughed lightly and tapped her on the shoulder. She screamed and darted away from him. He jumped when she screamed, then just stared at her. "Woah! Hey, calm down!" She was looking at him like he was the devil, then started brushing frantically at her shoulder. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Edge just touched me! Ew!"

Adam looked insulted. At that moment, the locker room door opened and in walked SmackDown's latest transfer, Randy Orton. He was innocently removing his elbow brace when a high pitched shriek hit his ears. Tahni was suddenly planted against Glen's chest, hanging onto him for dear life and glaring at Randy with loathing in her eyes. Randy stared at her, wondering what the hell was going on and she growled at him. She actually growled at him! He was taken aback. He looked at Glen and his eyebrows went up. "Um…Glen…that yours?" He motioned to Tahni, who made a scandalised noise and aimed a kick at his shin. Her boot connected with his bare flesh and he let out a bellow of pain. Tahni then turned a ran out of the room, screaming that Randy Orton was going to kill her.

Glen smacked his forehead with his hand. "Great, now she's loose!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Thank you to Anis C-bear, I Luv Hardy and Christina89 for the reviews :D I'm glad you like it.**

The four men split up to go in search of the hysterical woman. They figured they'd just have the follow the trail of bemused faces and eventually they'd find her. This turned out not to be the case. Apparently she had literally run past everyone, screaming and then, for all intents and purposes, disappeared. In the end, it was Randy who found her. He had quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, not wanting to expose too much flesh in case she decided to kick him again. She may have only been small, but bloody hell that had hurt!

He spotted her in the strangest place he could ever have imagined finding anyone. "How the hell did you get up there?" She was sat, high up on the back of the set structure. Perched like an imp, waiting to jump on any unsuspecting passer by. She let out a squeal when she saw him and promptly toppled off the set. Randy swore and caught her, stumbled a little from the impact, but managing not to drop her on her head. He looked at her in complete astonishment. She screamed and wriggled free of his arms, backing away and glaring at him. "You don't scare me!"

Randy just stared at her for a moment. Was she for real? He then shook his head and held his hands up in surrender. "I'm not trying to. I swear." She hissed like an angry cat and Randy took a step back. This woman was insane. Completely and utterly mad! "Don't play your mind games with me, Randy Orton!"

"What?….Oh boy." He rubbed the back of his neck, as some kind of understanding sunk in. He was Randy Orton, the Viper, The Legend Killer, who heard voices in his head. Right. Of course. This girl obviously believed everything she on t.v. Damnit! What was Glen thinking bringing someone like that backstage?

Tahni suddenly let out a shriek that was rather akin to a war cry and then tackled him to the floor. Randy didn't even have time to react as she suddenly had him in a full body scissor hold and began screaming that she'd got him! Okay…so she obviously wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of wrestling. She was surprisingly strong as well, but right now, all Randy could focus on was that he was being held down by a crazy woman.

A few minutes later, Glen, Dave and Adam came around the corner. When they saw Randy on the floor, being pulled in all directions by Tahni, all three of them burst out laughing. Adam had to hold onto Dave to keep himself upright, whilst Glen was leaning on the wall. Randy glared at them, trying to wriggle free, but Tahni's arms and legs tightened on him. "GET IT OFF ME!" This just made it worse. The other three superstars were all now crying with laughter. Tahni didn't see the joke, but she refused to relinquish her hold on Randy, just in case he escaped. He was the bad guy after all.

Eventually, Glen calmed down enough to approach them. He looked at Tahni and tried to speak in a bracing voice. For some reason she seemed to trust him, even though he was supposedly one of the most dangerous superstars in the WWE. "Tahni…remember what I told you? About the WWE being scripted? Randy's not really a psychotic, arrogant asshole…well, he is, but he's not dangerous."

"Hey!" Randy protested indignantly, but the grip Tahni's thighs had on his waist, tightened suddenly, driving all the air out of him and preventing further speech. Glen saw and held back a snicker, still trying to calm her down. "Tahni…let him go." She looked at him suspiciously for a moment, before gradually loosening her hold on Randy. Once he was free, he scrambled away from her and hid behind Dave. He peered over the bigger man's shoulder and Tahni. "You're insane!" As she turned her glare towards him, he ducked back behind Dave again. "And you're a coward!" She then finished off her statement, by sticking her tongue out. She looked at Glen again. "You. Explain. Now." The look on her face was so fierce that it almost set Glen off laughing again and he could hear Adam and Dave restraining their snickers, whilst Randy was still hiding, pretending not to be there. Glen suggested they all go back to the locker room and then he'd explain everything. This was not a conversation he was looking forward to. He was just hoping she didn't freak out and run off again.

**A/N Please review! The more reviews I get, the faster I will update! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update! Been busy with my other fic! Hope you enjoy this chapter :D Please review so I know if I'm on the right track with this!**

Once they were back in the locker room, Glen calmly explained to Tahni about how things worked in the WWE and how all the storylines were scripted and that when they weren't on stage most of them got along very well. All through it, she was shooting Randy deadly glares and he made sure to sit as far away from her as possible. When Glen had finished explaining, Tahni stared at him, with big, unhappy eyes. "I don't get it." Glen sighed and ran a hand down his face. "It's just a story, Tahni. It's not real."

"But, I watch you! I see you do it all!"

"That part's real. We really do wrestle, but adding the storylines and rivalries makes it more interesting." Tahni looked thoughtful for a moment, then understand slowly dawned on her face. "Oh." She dragged the word right out and then nodded slowly. "That explains why I keep getting in trouble." Glen looked at her questioningly and she shrugged. "I do amateur wrestling and I'm always getting in trouble for not getting along with the others." Glen snickered slightly, but tried to hide it.

Tahni looked at Adam and Dave, frowning slightly. "So, you don't actually hate each other?" They confirmed this by shaking their heads. Figuring she had finally calmed down, Randy leant forward a little. "We're just doing a job, Tahni."

"I still don't like you." Tahni snapped and glared at him and he sat back meekly. Glen disguised his laughter very badly, then stood up. "I expect you've got someone waiting for you."

"Mikey!" Tahni suddenly shot to her feet, smacking her hand against her forehead, having completely forgotten about her friend. Glen nodded. "Well, I tell you what, come along to the meet and greet tomorrow." Tahni's eyes went wide again and she threw herself and Glen, hugging him around the middle, since that was all she could reach. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Glen looked at the others for help, not really sure what to do and certainly not used to be hugged by anybody. They were all too busy laughing. Glen rolled his eyes at them and then showed Tahni out.

She waved at him, then ran over to where Mikey was waiting. He stared at her and she grinned. They were both silent for a long time, before he finally cracked. "In the car. You have to tell me _everything!"_ Tahni giggled and jumped in the car and immediately began talking. She told the whole story, her face darkening when she mentioned Randy. She didn't care what Glen said, she didn't like him and she was never going to. Michael listened avidly, laughing out loud when she explained how she pinned Randy down. Of course, he knew that the WWE was scripted, but he hadn't want to dash Tahni's dreams, he'd never have believed she'd actually ended up being carried off by one of the superstars.

When she got home, Tahni repeated the story to her parents, not even stopping for breath. They both found it hilarious. Only Tahni could get herself into that kind of situation. When she had finally exhausted herself, she traipsed up to her room and fell exhausted, into her bed. She lay there, grinning as she remembered her night. Rather eventful as things went. She frowned when the phone beside her bed started ringing. She figured it had to be Michael, so she grabbed it, speaking hurriedly. "I don't have time for you now. I am very famous and important. I was on t.v, you know."

"Uh…Miss Cauldwell, I presume." Tahni froze. The definitely wasn't Mikey's voice. It was older and somehow familiar. She frowned and sat up. "Yeah. Who's this?"

"Miss Cauldwell, my name's Shane McMahon." Tahni screamed. Literally, opened her lungs and screamed. Now, in any normal household, this would send the other occupants running to find out what had happened, but not this one. They were far too used to Tahni's strange behaviour. When she had finished, Shane spoke again very tentatively. "I take it you know who I am."

"Well, yes! Of course I do! But, why are you calling me? How did you get my number? Are you a stalker? 'Cause my friend Lisa, she got followed by a stalker who said he was actually Johnny Depp. I was like; Yeah right, Lisa. He's a stalker. She didn't believe me though and he turned up at her house, looking like Stig of the Dump. I mean seriously, as if Johnny Depp wanders around Jacksonville, calling random girls." There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds.

"Um…yeah. No. I'm not a stalker. I got your number from the phone book. Glen told me about you after his little stunt tonight."

"Glen? Who the hell is Glen?"

"Uh…Kane?"

"Oh! Glen!"

"Yes, anyway, we were wondering if you'd like to come on the road with us for a few weeks and take part in a storyline. Glen said you have some wrestling experience. We wouldn't expect you to be in matches of course, but we think you'd make a nice little addition." Tahni screamed again. It took her a little longer to calm down this time. "Are you serious?!"

"Yes, yes very serious." Shane's voice sounded like he was in some kind of pain and Tahni wondered what that was all about, but her mind was way too occupied with other things to worry about it too much. She thought for a minute. She was sure that Richard would be fine with it and be more than happy to give her time off work and she wasn't a minor so her parents couldn't argue. She grinned. "I'll do it!"

"Great." Shane sounded utterly exhausted. "Well, swing by the meet and greet tomorrow and I'll fill you in on the details. Goodbye, Miss Cauldwell."

"Tahni."

"What?"

"My name's Tahni."

"Oh…right. Goodbye Tahni."

"Bye bye." She hung up the phone and then screamed again, flapping her arms about and kicking her legs.


	6. Chapter 6

"Yes, Daddy... No, Daddy… Three bags full, Daddy?"

"T, are you even listening to me?"

"No, Daddy."

"Tahni, this is important."

"Of course it is. Bye, Daddy." Tahni kissed her father's cheek and darted out of the front door before he could say another word. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. Tahni clambered into her car and sped away. She was far too excited to even register what her father had been saying to her. Bless him. She drummed her hands on the steering wheel and sang along loudly to the stereo, bouncing in her seat. As she pulled up at an intersection, she got some very strange looks from the family in the station wagon next to her. She didn't notice. Right now she as oblivious to the world, her eyes were well and truly filled with WWE logos.

When she finally reached the venue for the meet and greet she got into a brief argument with a guy who said she'd stolen his parking space. Her response was to kiss his cheek, slap his butt and tell him that he was hot enough to find somewhere else. He was so stunned, that he simply let her walk away. She then walked through the doors, her eyes flicking in all directions.

Randy was sat behind the table, sandwiched between Cody and Ted. His eyes moved past the fan he'd just been talking to, making a quick sweep to figure out a rough idea of how many more people there were. Predictably, his gaze met a pair of very unfriendly green eyes. "Oh…greeeeat."

"Hey, isn't that the chick you beat your ass last night?"

"Shut up, Ted." Randy scowled at his friend and went back to what he was supposed to be doing. Tahni meanwhile had spotted Glen. She danced her way through the crowds, earning a lot of tuts and unhappy comments as she went. People didn't recognise her and she was gone before the ones who did could register what they'd seen. She stopped at the side of the table and watched Glen. Though she was stood right next to him, he hadn't looked up yet. He was signing a poster for a guy about her age. She grinned when he was done, then leant down close to his ear. "HI!"

"Holy crap!" He damn near jumped out of his skin, then looked at her. He tried to steady his heartbeat, which had shot up from shock and then shook his head. "Tahni, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"That's 'cause you're old."

"I am not old!"

"Suuuuure. Move over." She shoved him with enough force that he almost fell off his chair. He rolled his eyes and scooted his chair over so she could sit, cross-legged on the table. "Y'know, you're not really supposed to do that."

"Aren't you _supposed_ to be signing autographs for these nice people?" Tahni motioned to the waiting crowd. Glen swore under his breath and went back to his job. After about ten minutes, Tahni felt a tap on her shoulder. It surprised her so much that she toppled backwards off the table, with a squeal. The assembled fans all burst out laughing. Tahni laughed too, then stood up and looked at the person who'd approached her. Her jaw dropped. "S…Sh…Sh…"

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'shi-'" Tahni quickly clapped a hand over Glen's mouth before he could get them both into trouble. "Keep it clean, big guy." He snickered and went back to signing. Tahni looked at Shane McMahon, whose expression was bemused, at best. Tahni shrugged apologetically. "Sorry."

"Um…no problem. Come with me. We'll talk out the back." Tahni eyed him suspiciously, but seemed to decide that he didn't look all that dangerous, so she let him lead her along the back of the gathered superstars, where she didn't miss the opportunity to flick the back of Randy's head as she passed. He bellowed in surprise and annoyance, looking around frantically. He glared at her, but she just whistled innocently and continued following Shane. He led her to a small office in the back of the building. "Take a seat, Miss Cauldwell."

"Tahni."

"Right. Sorry. Tahni." Tahni sat down in front of the desk and slouched down a little, getting comfortable. Shane looked at her, as she examined the room they were in. She was…different. That was the only way to describe it. She was tall, but small built. She looked like a pixie with her short hair and elfin features. She also looked like the type who had far too much energy to be healthy. She suddenly turned her green eyes on him and lifted her eyebrows. "So?"

Shane coughed a little and then sat down behind the desk, reaching into one of the drawers and pulling out a bulky contract. "I need a few details from you, Mi- Tahni. Name, Date of birth, Social Security number, that sort of thing and I need you to read this and tell me if there's anything you don't agree with or can't commit to." Tahni reeled off her details, as he wrote them down, then began reading the contract. She was fast reader. She flicked through the pages at almost hyper-speed. Then dumped it back on the desk. "Works for me."

"Are you sure you read it all thoroughly?" Quite unexpectedly, Tahni began to recite the contract word for word.

_Holy shit!_ "Um…How-?"

"I have a photographic memory."

_Ah. That explains a lot. _Shane nodded and then grabbed a pen. He indicated where he needed her to sign. She leant forward and left a flamboyant, looping scrawl on all the necessary points. When she was done, Shane tucked the contract into a briefcase. "Alright, well, you'll get your copy in a few days. We'll need you to undergo some basic physical examinations and you'll need to sort a few things out with creative, then you should be good to go."

She didn't show it, but Tahni was having to physically restrain her excitement. She'd just signed a WWE contract for Christ's sake! Still, she was determined not to make a fool of herself. Shane then informed her that she could go back out to the meet and greet. She grinned and practically bounced out of the door. She flicked Randy again on her way past. He growled under his breath. It was starting to quieten down now and he had just about had enough, tiredness did not help his current temperament. He shoved back form the table and stood up. He marched down the table, catching up to Tahni when she was a few feet away from Glen, passing behind the large banner that was set up behind the superstars. He grabbed her arm and spun her around.

She looked shocked at first, then annoyed. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you want, assclown?"

_Did she really just call me an assclown? _His glare only intensified and his grip on her arm tightened. "What the hell is your problem? What are you, twelve?"

"Get your dirty hand off me."

"My hands are not dirty."

"Well, your face is."

"What? Are you freaking kidding me? Twelve was generous, you're about five."

"Screw you."

"Not for all the money in the world."

"Yeah, well you'd need it to sort that face out. Seriously, I'm gonna get sick if you don't go away."

"You got a lot of mouth for someone who only just found out the WWE is scripted." His voice was low now, even though he was mad at her, he didn't want to get into trouble for upsetting all the kids that were still hanging around. Luckily for them, they were kept hidden behind the large banner so their argument had gone, thus far, un-noticed.

"Suck my ass." Randy stared at her. He hadn't expected that to come out of her mouth. She seemed pleased that she'd shocked him and he scowled. "What is your problem?"

"You."

"What did I ever do to you?"

"You're a jerk."

"You don't even know me."

"I don't wanna know you. You suck."

"You're such a child."

"Yeah? Well, at least I'm not an assclown."

"I'm done with this."

"Bye-bye."

"You are so annoying!"

"Pot…kettle…black?"

"Fuck you, imp girl."

"That's the best you can come up with? Okay, well eat this; you are a pathetic, shit-faced, steak-headed, butt-munching piece of crap…and you have no ass."

"Hey! I have an awesome ass!"

"Yeah. Awesome in it's invisibility."

"Leave my ass alone."

"Tell me where to find it and I'll apologise."

"I hate you."

"The feeling's mutual."

"What are you even doing here?" Tahni grinned and Randy instinctively knew he was not going to like the answer to this. "I just signed an on-air talent contract." Tahni's voice was filled with satisfaction and she was satisfied with his despairing groan. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" She pulled her arm out of his grip, turned smartly and walked out from behind the banner to resume her position at the end of the table. Glen looked at her curiously. "Why were you behind there with Randy Orton?"

"He wants me." Glen almost choked on the water he was drinking. Tahni thumped him helpfully on the back and he stared at her. "You hate Randy Orton."

"Yes, yes I do. He wants me, not the other way around. He has no ass." Glen almost choked again, this time because he was laughing. Tahni grinned at him, her eyes flicking down the table to meet Randy's glare. She blew him a kiss and saw him grit his teeth, muttering something to Cody. She giggled and looked at Glen again. "He's jealous of my bootius maximus." Glen snorted and shook his head. "Whatever you say, kid." This girl was something else.

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**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, they make me happy :D Please review this chapter, let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Christina89, this chapter is for you. I wrote it right after reading your review. You were definitely my muse for this one. Thank you and I hope you like it :D Of course, I hope everyone else does too!**

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Tahni pulled up outside the gym and grimaced. She wasn't looking forward to this, but part of her contract said she had to adhere to the rules of the Wellness Programme and the imPACT tests even if she wouldn't be taking part in matches. She sighed as she got out of the car, grabbing her duffel bag. She walked inside the unfamiliar building and went to go change. She dragged on her sweatpants and bright blue fitted jersey.

She walked out into the gym and then turned around and walked right back out. She almost slammed right into Glen, who had promised to be here to make sure she was alright (and that she didn't freak anyone out). He looked at her in surprise. "Wrong way, Cauldwell."

"The assclown's in there."

"All the superstars use this gym when we're in Jacksonville."

"I'm not going in there."

"Tahni, you can't avoid him all the time."

"Wanna bet?" Glen sighed and shook his head. "Tahni, he's not that bad."

"He has no ass! It's freaky! Everyone's meant to have an ass, his lack of one freaks me out."

"He has an ass."

"You've been looking?"

"What?! No! Tahni!" Tahni smirked, but her attempts at distracting the big man weren't working. He put his hands on her shoulders, turned her around and marched her into the gym. She glared over at Orton, who hadn't even noticed she was there. Glen led her past him, hoping to avoid a scene. He should have known better. "Assclown." Tahni muttered, not-so-quietly. Randy instantly turned from talking to Ted and glared at her. "Oh look, the kid's session has started."

"Fuck you."

"You wish, Imp."

"Dream on, No-Ass."

"I have an ass!"

"No, you _are_ an ass. Big difference. Though, I can understand why you'd be confused. All those beat downs you get, it was bound to cause brain damage in your limited headspace. By the way, you have a really small head too." Glen groaned, smacking his hand against his forehead. Randy growled angrily, taking a threatening step towards Tahni. She didn't back down, just lifted her chin defiantly. "You wanna grow up."

"So does your ass…and your head. We don't get our wishes."

"You think you're pretty smart, huh?"

"I'm sure it would seem that way to a pin-head like you."

"Fuck you!"

"You wish, Assclown." She threw his own words back at him with a sense of great satisfaction. "I'm not into kids."

"Funny, I'd have thought the similarity in mental age would be appealing." That seemed to take it too far and Randy looked like he was about to pick her up and throw her, so Glen quickly intervened, grabbing Tahni's arm and sending Randy a warning look. "That's enough. Tahni, come on. You're gonna be late." Tahni scowled at him, but his grip on her arm was insistent. She had no choice but to let him lead her away to the other side of the facility. "Can't you just…hold your tongue?"

"Huh?" She looked at him like he was speaking Chinese and he sighed, shaking his head. "Never mind." Tahni was soon distracted form her plans to murder Randy Orton as her tests began. She completely blanked everything else out. Physical exercise calmed her like nothing else and seemed to stem the constant flow of her words. She got through the tests without freaking her director out even once. When she had finished, she sat down beside Glen and took the bottle of water that he offered her. She looked at him and grinned. "How d'you think I did?"

"I've never seen someone run that fast on a treadmill for that long. So I'd say you did pretty good."

"Yeah…I'm awesome." Glen snorted with laughter and just nodded in agreement. She certainly had no confidence issues. They sat around talking about nothing until the specialist came over with her results. Tahni looked nervous for the first time since Glen had met her.

"Well, Miss Cauldwell-"

"Tahni."

"I'm sorry?"

"My name's Tahni."

"Um…okay. Tahni. You're in absolutely top physical condition. The only thing I would say, is watch out for the right calf, it's weaker than the left so your left side is going to take more strain and could lead to an injury. You'll need to wear a brace on your right leg to help it out a little. Other than that; no complaints."

"Awesome!" Tahni jumped out of her seat and hugged the flustered man, who blushed beetroot red and quickly escaped. Tahni then turned her over-excited affections on Glen, who by now, was almost prepared for it. He managed to catch her when she threw herself at him and only stumbled a little. She hugged him fiercely and he spun her around once, before setting her back on her feet. "Good job, kid."

"Can we go eat now?"

"I thought you said you were gonna grab breakfast before you came here?"

"I did."

"And you're hungry again?"

"Starved."

"How is that even possible?"

"I am…a mystery. It's okay to not understand." Tahni patted Glen's arm sympathetically and he rolled his eyes at her. "Come on then." As they walked past Randy for the second time, he turned to glare at Tahni. "Bedtime already?" Tahni, who had been attempting to behave herself, stopped in her tracks. Glen closed his eyes, silently praying this wouldn't end badly. She then turned, rolling her head as she did so. She looked straight at Randy, with such an intense gaze, he almost looked away. Almost. She then marched straight up to him, way too close for his liking and prodded his chest, hard. Damn, that hurt more than it should! She was tiny!

"Listen, you butt-faced, no-assed, assclown…"

"Woah, Tahni, that was a lot of backside references."

"Shut up, Glen."

"Shutting up." Tahni turned her attention back to Randy and she prodded his chest again, causing him to jerk back involuntarily. Why did that hurt so much?! This woman had deadly fingers! "I get that you need to make yourself feel superior to make up for your freakish lack of a rear end and stupidly small head, but really, you should just admit you have a problem. It's half the battle. Face it, Orton. You suck. One day, you will come to terms with this and when that day comes, you can kiss my sweet, juicy Florida be-hind." She then smiled brightly at him, turned away and walked back to Glen. "Come on. I'm starving!" Glen looked at Randy, trying desperately to hide his laughter, but failing. Randy was just staring at Tahni like she was completely alien to him. Tahni didn't even notice as she steered Glen out of the gym to get changed and then into the Taco Bell across the street.

She pretty much inhaled her food, whilst Glen watched in amazement. "Did you actually taste any of that." She leaned back in her seat and patted her stomach. "Yep. I love Taco Bell. I should come here more often."

"You don't eat out a lot?"

"My mom's the best cook in the world! Why would I need to?" Glen nodded slowly. She'd said that as if he should already have known it. One thing Glen was becoming very aware of with her, was that she never held back on anything. She said it how she thought it and didn't bother worrying if it would get her into trouble. She believed what she believed and if someone else didn't like it, well they could pretty much kiss her ass.

"You're insane. You know that, right?"

"Uh-uh. Nope. I'm not."

"You really are."

"No, I'm original. Unique, genius and all-round awesome people are always called insane by people who just don't understand."

"Riiiight. So you're an enigma."

"Exactly….hey, Glen?"

"Yeah?"

"What's an enigma?" Glen dropped his head onto the table dramatically and Tahni reached over to pat his head comfortingly. She didn't know what she was comforting him for, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Besides, it gave her an excuse to rub his fuzzy bit of hair. For some reason, it had always fascinated her. "Hey, Glen?"

"Yeah, Tahni." He mumbled, his head still resting on the table. "'Member that time the Big Show tried to rescue you from that room? With the fork truck in front of the door?"

"Yeah, Tahni."

"That was pretty funny." Glen sat up and eyed her, trying to gauge if she was serious or not. She looked at him innocently, so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Thanks."

"You know what else?"

"What?"

"Your voice freaks me out."

"It's supposed. Kane's voice is meant to be creepy."

"No. Not Kane's voice. Your voice." Glen lifted his eyebrows, very close to dropping his head back on the table. "Why?"

"Because it's normal."

"Should it not be?"

"You're Kane."

"We've been through this."

"Yeah, I know. But…you're Kane."

"Okay, Tahni."

"Can I call you Kane?"

"No, Tahni."

"Why not?"

"My name is Glen."

"It's also Kane."

"No. My character is called Kane."

"So…totally separate people."

"Yeah."

"So…you're like…skitsophrenic?"

"No!"

"I don't get it."

"Never mind, Cauldwell. Just… never mind."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Just to let you know, I will be taking part in the writer's strike from the 1st-7th March, so I will not be updating in that time. My regular reviewers will know I am quite a quick updater and I am really sorry to make you wait a whole week during that time. I appreciate your support so much, but it's getting annoying that people are favourite-ing and alert-ing my stories, but not reviewing them. It takes two minutes! It's not difficult! My regulars, I love you and you're awesome! This chapter's for you :D**

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"No-ass!"

"Imp!"

"Man-whore!"

"Bitch!"

"Faggot!"

"Pain in the ass!"

"That only works if you _have _as ass."

"I hate you so much."

"Don't be afraid of your love for me. It's only natural."

"Please, I'd have to be completely brain dead to find you attractive."

"I'm surprised they can fit a brain in a head that small."

"My head is not small!"

"No, it's huge compared to your non-existent ass."

"What do you have against my ass?!"

"Nothing. Neither does anything else. Know why? 'CAUSE IT'S NOT THERE!"

"Tahni!" _Oh crap._ Tahni turned slowly and smiled innocently at her friend. "Hi, Glen." Glen narrowed his eyes at her and looked past her at Randy who was glaring at her, his expression was positively murderous. He flicked his eyes back to Tahni. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Tahni looked at Randy again, sticking her tongue out childishly, before following Glen down the corridor and into his dressing room. She let out a low whistle once they were inside and nodded slowly. "Nice. Can I share your dressing room?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because…what if I wanted to walk around naked?"

"Do you?"

"Missing the point, Tahni."

"What _is_ the point?"

"You're trying to distract me."

"Is it working?"

"No."

"Damn. Hey, Glen?"

"What?"

"Did I ever tell you how handsome you are?"

"No, actually."

"You really are. Not like Orton. You have a _lovely_ ass."

"Speaking of Orton-"

"Know what else?"

"What, Tahni?"

"You have really pretty eyes."

"_Pretty?_"

"Yeah…kinda hard to see them from way down here. That another thing! You being so tall and so…big…very hot."

"Tahni."

"Yeah?"

"Don't make me tape your mouth shut." Tahni gasped dramatically and then narrowed her eyes at him. "You wouldn't."

"I would." He suddenly dug around in his bag, pulling out a roll of gaffer tape. Tahni tilted her head, more curious than scared. "Why do you keep gaffer tape in your bag?"

"Um…" He seemed stuck for an answer and Tahni's eyes widened. She then promptly turned and ran out of the dressing room, running down the hall screaming that Kane was going to tape her up and do things to her. Glen smacked his forehead. "Not again!"

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"Randy, please! We're on in fifteen minutes, I'll never find her on my own!"

"Get someone else to do it!"

"Everyone else is busy…or finds it really funny that I've lost my 'munchkin'."

"Munchkin? That's a good one, I'll have to remember that!" Randy laughed, but then caught sight of the threatening expression on Glen's face and sighed with defeat. "Fiiiine. I'll help you look for the wench. You owe me big time for this, Jacobs." Glen was grateful enough not to argue and the two of them split up to search the arena for the missing woman…again. Randy had a pretty good idea of where to find her, but he dithered about, hoping Glen would find her first. Eventually he made his way to the scaffold at the back of the curtain. He looked up and let out a heavy sigh. Perfect. "Hey! Imp! Get your fat ass down here!"

"At least I have an ass!" Tahni was perched high up on the scaffold again. She looked much more relaxed this time. Randy glared up at her. "Why the hell did you run away this time?"

"Why the hell did you come looking for me?"

"Glen threatened to rape me if I didn't." Tahni lifted her eyebrows, but said nothing. Randy watched, with involuntary admiration, as she deftly swung down from the scaffold. She moved with a very easy grace, not stumbling for a second. She landed lightly on the floor in front of him, crouching slightly to absorb the impact. She stood up slowly until she was level with him and glared at him. "You should be so lucky. Glen would never rape you. You have no ass."

"Did I mention that I really, really hate you?"

"I'm flattered."

"Huh? Why would you be flattered?!"

"Well, hate and love are a very finely danced line, Randy-kins."

"_Randy-kins?!_"

"Tahni! There you are!" Glen jogged over to them, giving Tahni a reproachful look. "Thought you were gonna leave me high and dry." Tahni grinned at him. "No chance. Come on. Bye-bye, Randy-kins." She wiggled her fingers in a wave and Randy growled at her angrily. She laughed and grabbed Glen's arm, dancing away with him. He looked at her as they approached the gorilla position. "Must you torture him?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It amuses me."

"You're easily amused."

"Yes." Tahni nodded in total agreement. Glen looked at her carefully. She didn't seem at all fazed by the fact she was about to go out in front of thousands of un-suspecting fans for her first appearance since the incident the week before. In fact, she looked more calm than he'd ever seen her. He suddenly pressed his hand against her forehead. She yelped and jumped back. "Fuck! Your hand is freezing! What are you doing, you crazy person?!"

"I'm checking if you have a fever."

"What? Why?"

"Because we're about to go out to the ring and you're not showing even a little nerves." Tahni grinned at him and shrugged. "I don't get nervous about doing what I feel I was born to do. Although…the acting scares me a little. I'm an awful actor."

"Yes, you are."

"Hey!"

"What?"

"You're supposed to be encouraging!"

"Oh…um…you're a great actor."

"I hate you."

"I love you too." Tahni stuck her tongue out at him, then his music hit and they were up. Tahni jumped out and down a few times, then held her arm out. Glen grabbed her wrist. "Am I hurting you?"

"Nope. Let's go, big guy." He nodded and his whole demeanour changed as the character flooded in and he proceeded to drag her to the ring, whilst she looked dutifully frightened and unwilling


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm baaaack! Surprised how much I missed it! Anywho, thank you to; Christina89, GreyLionDiva, JenniferRayne, Tenshi no Koneko, Aura Master and Souless666! You guys are awesome :D

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With Kane's match won and the crowd very aware of Tahni's presence, highlighted by Kane handcuffing her wrist to the bottom rope so she couldn't run away, they returned backstage. A few people were milling around, but Tahni wasn't paying attention. She yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. She was exhausted. She hadn't done much during the match, but she'd been tensed the entire time, adrenalin coursing through her and burning up all of her energy.

She leaned sleepily against Glen, who rolled his eyes. He carefully put an arm around her to keep her upright and led her back to his locker room. Once inside she all but fell onto the couch, stuffing a hand under her cheek as she curled up on her side. Glen looked at her for a moment, before shaking his head. This was the quietest he'd ever seen her. He changed quickly out of his ring gear, his eyes flicking often to the sleeping girl on the couch. He really didn't want her to wake up when he was half way through changing.

The knock on the door surprised him and he frowned a little, going to open it before whoever it was could knock again and wake Tahni. He was even more surprised to find Randy on the other side of it. His eyebrows shot up. "Yes?"

Randy was looking decidedly grumpy as he gazed at Glen. "I have been 'sent' to invite you and…_her_ out for drinks with the rest of us tonight." Glen held in a snicker at Randy's tone, finding it extremely funny how much he and Tahni disliked each other. However, he focused on the question and then glanced over his shoulder. Tahni hadn't even stirred. Randy noticed his distraction and looked past him. "I wondered why it was so quiet." There was something strange in his tone and as Glen looked at him, he saw the strangest expression on the younger man's face. He looked…disarmed? Like someone had caught him off guard. Even as he watched, Randy shook this off, the scowl returning to his face. "So, you in or not?"

"Assuming I can wake her up, I'm sure we'll be there."

"Okay. Hotel bar at ten. Oh and if you need to wake her up, I'm sure I can find a bucket of ice water around here somewhere."

"Try it, assclown." Glen and Randy both turned their heads. Tahni's eyes were still closed, but there was a definite smirk playing about her lips. Glen looked at Randy and just shrugged, holding in his own smirk. Randy's eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth a little. "Don't tempt me, Imp."

"I love it when you use those pet names for me, Randy-kins." Tahni's eyes were open now, the emerald glittering with amusement. She shoved herself into a half sitting position, her legs still up on the cushions, bracing her weight on her arm. Randy growled in annoyance. "I like you so much better when you're asleep."

Tahni let out a dramatic gasp and sat up straight. "That's disgusting!"

"What?" Randy looked confused, but Glen was already shaking with suppressed laughter as he had already figured out what Tahni meant. "Honestly, Randy, with your money, couldn't you just hire a hooker to stay awake? I mean, I know you have this weirdly distorted body and all that, but surely you can find _someone _who would do you whilst they're awake." Randy's hands curled into fists, his face blazing with embarrassment and fury. Glen seemed to sense that there were literally only moments before Randy would charge into the room and throttle the pixie-like girl, so he spoke in a bracing tone. "We'll see you at the hotel, Randy."

With a stiff nod, Randy left and Glen turned to look reproachfully at Tahni. "That was the shortest nap, ever." Tahni shrugged and ran her fingers through her short hair, stretching. "Randy's voice is enough to wake the dead. Seriously, how is it possible for anyone to have a voice _that_ annoying?" Glen shook his head, refusing to laugh because it would simply encourage her. "Well, since you're awake, we better go. We have to give Mark a ride to the hotel."

"Mark?" Tahni looked confused and Glen opened his mouth to explain, but thought better of it. Probably best to get her in the car first. He was hoping she couldn't freak out too much if she were in a confined space. "You'll see." He then helped her to her feet and grabbed his bags. Tahni followed dutifully, stopping to slap a five with Matt Hardy who had simply put his hand up to wave at someone down the corridor. He looked utterly bemused as Tahni grinned and danced off down the hall behind Glen.

She jumped into the back seat of Glen's car and stretched out. Glen peered inside and shook his head. "You should put your seat belt on." Tahni grinned at him, then began arranging the belts in the back so that they were around her in the oddest combination. Glen just watched her with his eyebrows raised. "Okay then." He looked up as he heard his name and saw Mark Calaway walking towards him. He shook his hand and slapped his shoulder in a friendly way, before looking into the car again. "Tahni, this is Mark. Mark, Tahni."

There was a long moment of silence and then Glen heard the scream and winced a little. He looked inside to see Tahni squirming against the seatbelts she arranged around herself in a desperate attempt to escape. Mark looked at Glen, then at Tahni inside the car. His expression was priceless. It wasn't often that anyone could say they'd surprised The Deadman, but this girl had done it. Eventually, Tahni managed to free herself of the belts without actually unclipping any of them and she bolted out of the other side of the car. Glen sighed. "Tahni, remember what I told you about the characters."

Tahni shook her head stubbornly, her eyes wide with fear and awe as she stared at Mark. "He…abuh….I…y-…huh….meh…" She went on like this for about two minutes, before Glen rounded the car and clamped a hand over her mouth. He then bundled her into the car. She screamed and kicked at him, but he ignored her. "Ew! Tahni!" He drew his hand back from her mouth sharply. She'd licked his palm and was now making disgusted faces. "Ew! Ew! Ew! What have you been doing with that thing?!" Glen scowled at her, but at that moment, Mark climbed into the passenger side of the car, deciding that Glen had the situation under control. Tahni screamed again and Glen shook his head. Mark suddenly moved, pulling off the bandana that he was wearing. He leaned into the back and deftly wrapped it around Tahni's head, securing it in a gag form, preventing her from screaming any more, he then used the spare seatbelt to secure her hands behind her. He then placed a finger against his lips, indicating for her to be quiet. She instantly fell silent, just staring at him with wide, mournful and frightened eyes.

Glen tried not to laugh and patted Tahni's head sympathetically before getting into the car. The drive back to the hotel was strange. Mark talked in a low, mellow tone to Glen, who listened and responded as needed. His eyes kept flicking to the rear view mirror to Tahni, who was sulking. That much was obvious from the folded arms and death glares she was shooting his way, but whenever Mark would talk, she'd stare at him.

It was about a twenty minute journey to the hotel and about fifteen minutes into it, Tahni surprised them both. "Pah! Ew! God, sweat! Yuck!" Glen's eyes flashed to her in the mirror and Mark turned to stare at her. She had somehow caused the bandana to split into two pieces, right down the middle. "What the hell?" Tahni looked at Mark, seeing his attention on her and she squeaked, cowering back into her seat. "It…broke."

"It broke?…You…chewed…through…my…bandana. That's my favourite one." He scowled at her and she cowered more. Glen tried very hard to focus on the road, but he was finding it difficult to do through laughter. Finally, with Mark still glaring at Tahni and Tahni trying not to notice, they arrived at the hotel. Glen released Tahni and she flew out of the car and grabbed his arm, hanging onto him as she stared at Mark, who was mournfully inspecting the severed pieces of his bandana. Glen glanced at Tahni. "How did you even manage that?" By way of demonstration, Tahni suddenly bit his arm. He let out a bellow and pulled his arm free. "Ow! Shit! You've got really sharp teeth!" Tahni shrugged, still strangely silent. Her eyes were fixed on Mark. He suddenly looked at her and if it had not been for the fact that everyone in the world knew the Deadman did not pout, it would have been certain that that was what he was doing right now. Tahni squeaked and grabbed Glen's arm again, her fingers digging into him as Mark walked towards them. "He's going to kill me….Glen! Glen, he's going to kill me!" She'd suddenly re-found her voice and was now screeching at Glen. Mark looked at her like she was the strangest thing he had ever encountered, which was really saying something. He suddenly turned his eyes on Glen. "See you inside." This was all he said before walking away. Tahni looked like she might faint. Glen snickered quietly, then led her inside.

Her voice had fully re-engaged and she chatted non-stop, giving a blow-by-blow account of what had just happened, regardless of the fact that Glen had been there the entire time. Glen didn't bother telling her this. She was still talking when they reached her room. She stopped outside the door and turned to him, still talking. He placed a hand gently on her stomach, his other hand opening the door and he pushed her inside. She still hadn't stopped talking. He then moved back and shut the door. He laughed out loud as he could still hear her talking inside. "Be in the lobby at ten, Tahni!" He called to her before wandered off down to his own room.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you to: Christina89, Tenshi no Koneko, GreyLionDiva, Souless666, Aura Master and last, but certainly not least JenniferRayne! I appreciate all the love you guys send my way and I send a whole bunch back at you! :D Enjoy this chapter! It was fun to write!

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She was late. It was only ten minutes, but Glen was getting impatient. He briefly wondered over the strange friendship that seemed to have developed between himself and the pixie-like nutcase he seemed to be spending so much time with. It would have been different if it were purely for the purposes of the storyline, but he actually liked her. She was hilarious, she had absolutely no control over her mouth and she said exactly what she thought. She was a refreshing change.

She was also young and obnoxious, with the weirdest sense of style he had ever seen. As he thought this, he was stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes were glued to the staircase which descended into the lobby. Tahni was afraid of elevators and would take the stairs no matter what. At this exact moment she was dancing down the steps, not noticing the attention she was receiving, utterly lost in her own world with no clue as to how lovely she was.

She was dressed in a rainbow coloured skirt that seemed to float around the tops of her thighs like water, a pair of flat, brown boots that didn't quite reach her knees and a brown, suede corset with hot pink laces. Her hair was spiky as it always was and there wasn't a trace of make-up on her skin, but she looked…radiant. Like she was glowing from the inside out. Glen couldn't help but stare at her as she bounced over to him. "Hi, Glen!" Her eyebrows went up when she got no response. "Glen?" Still nothing. He looked like someone had just bashed him over the head with something heavy. Tahni tip-toed, though even that brought her nowhere near to his eye level. She reached up and waved her hand in front of his eyes. "Hey, big guy! Earth to Glen! Yoo-hoo! Hello?" Without further warning she slapped him across the face.

That did it. He snapped out of his daze and frowned at her. "What was that for?" She just grinned at him in her impish way and shrugged. "I always wanted to do that. Come on, I have a third generation superstar to annoy."

"Tahni…" Glen groaned, shaking his head in exasperation. "No fighting with Randy tonight. Please? He's a lot bigger than you."

"Yes, but I am a lot faster than him."

"That's not going to help you if he gets you in a headlock."

"That's when you come and save me."

"Oh no, I am not getting involved." Glen folded his arms and Tahni pouted at him, making her impossibly big eyes go even wider than usual. "But, Glen, you'd never forgive yourself if something happen to little ol' me."

"Don't even try it, Cauldwell. Now get your backside into the bar and try to behave yourself."

"Ooh, I love it when you order me about."

"Tahni!"

"Okay, I'm going." Tahni snickered and bounced off with Glen following closely behind. Glen cringed a little as the loud music hit them. He preferred the quiet, but the noise just seemed to send Tahni's hyperactivity up another notch. Glen smirked, standing behind her at the bar. "Oh, hi Mark." Tahni let out a small scream and turned round, only to find Glen grinning at her and Mark nowhere in sight. She slapped his arm, then squealed and clasped her hand to her chest. "Ow! You have arms made out of steel!"

"Thank you very much. Mine's a beer." Tahni rolled her eyes at him and leant across the bar to get the tender's attention. As she was doing this Glen looked around, nodding to a few familiar faces. Tahni ordered their drinks, staring in fascination at the rows of bottles presented along the back of the bar. Glen's voice invaded her musing. "Mark, hi. How are you?"

"Oh yeah, I'm really gonna fall for that a sec-" Tahni turned to find herself face-to-face with Mark Calaway. She froze, her eyes widening in shock and fear and her mouth engaged before her brain. "Holy shit, it's Mark." Glen covered his mouth with his hand, literally holding in his laughter as Mark just looked at Tahni with an expression caught between reluctant amusement and confusion. Tahni flushed, spots of bright colour appearing on her face. At that moment, the bartender placed two beers on the counter next to her. Mark reached past her, causing her to scream and jump out of the way. He took one of the beers. "Thanks." He then turned and walked off. Tahni stared after him, her mouth open in shock. "He took my beer!"

Glen continued to shake with silent laughter, hidden behind his hand. He then reached over and took the other beer, much to Tahni's indignation. "Hey!" She scowled at him, but he just looked at her innocently. She rolled her eyes and flagged down the tender again to order another one, muttering loudly about stupidly tall men stealing her beers. Glen snickered, watching her. "How come you drink beer? You're only twenty-one, wouldn't you prefer something stronger? Aren't you meant to be in that 'I can drink so I'm going to get drunk' stage of your life?" Tahni looked at him as if he'd just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. She shook her head, then was momentarily distracted as her beer arrived. She hugged the bottle close to her chest as if someone might try and steal it right out of her hands. She looked at Glen. "I don't see the point of getting drunk. You end up like that guy." She motioned to a man who was half passed out at one of the booths around the edge of the room, his legs were on the seat, but his upper body was lying on the floor. He was clearly wasted.

Glen nodded, unable to disagree. "Good point." He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Chris Irvine grinning at him. He nodded and then looked at Tahni, suppressing a wince as she suddenly launched herself at Chris, throwing her arms around him, leaving Glen to quickly grab her beer off her before she could damage anyone with it. Chris look stunned and then moved to hold her at arms length. He recognised her instantly. She was quite the talking point in the locker room. "Miss Cauldwell, right?"

"Tahni."

"Oh. Hi. I'm-"

"I know! Oh my god! Chris Jericho!"

"Irvine."

"Huh?"

"My actual name's Chris Irvine."

"Why?"

"Um…because it is."

"I prefer Jericho."

"Y'know, Tahni; so do I." Chris grinned at her and she jumped up and down before hugging him again. She then looked at Glen and snatched her beer back. "Mine." Glen rolled his eyes at her and wandered off, leaving her to chatter to Chris, who seemed to find her highly amusing. That was a definite friendship in the making. No-one talked more than Chris, but Glen would bet Tahni would give him a run for his money.

"Hey! Hey Imp!" Tahni's eyes slid slowly away from Chris to find Randy walking towards her with a scowl on his face. He was tottering a little, but not enough to be classed as drunk. Tahni scowled. She'd been hoping to avoid this. She didn't want Glen to get mad at her for picking a fight with Randy, but since he was approaching her, surely she couldn't be blamed, right?

Chris looked between them, leaning towards Tahni a little. "He means you, right?"

"Yes. He's hopelessly in love with me and expresses it through insults." Chris snorted with laughter and shook his head, taking the opportunity to make himself scarce, not really wanting to get embroiled in whatever was going to happen.

Tahni turned her full attention to Randy as he moved to lean on the bar beside her. "Are you even old enough to be here?"

"Wont you being here mess with your medication?"

"What medication?"

"Oh, sorry. I thought all old people took lots of medication!"

"Oh, you think you're funny."

"Yes, yes I do."

"You're not."

"Thank you for your opinion. Anything else?" Tahni looked at him with apparent polite disinterest and watched with disgust as his eyes raked over her body. Ew. He'd been divorced for what? Six months, maybe a little more and he had already lost control of his eyes. How charming. As his gaze returned to her face, she slowly and deliberately let her own travel over him, from the open neck of his slate blue shirt, to the casual, distressed jeans, right down to his Italian faux snake-skin shoes, before flicking them back up to his face. He was smirking at her. "See something you like?"

Tahni screwed up her face in disgust. "Actually, I was just wondering how, with all your money, you can't buy clothes that at least give the illusion of an ass or at the very least, make your head look less tiny." Randy bared his teeth at her angrily. "You know what, no-one cares about your opinion. You're just some punk kid who showed up uninvited and got a free meal ticket. You think that because you're friends with Glen it makes you impervious to harm. Well, let me tell you something, Imp; you're not." Oh boy, this sounded like the start of a rant. Tahni sighed, wishing he'd shut up. "And another thing; can you even wrestle? So far all I've seen is some really bad acting."

Tahni grit her teeth. "Orton-"

"And the climbing the scaffold thing; what is that all about? Why do you even do that?"

"Orton-"

"I mean, it's the stupidest thing I've ever seen! You look like a kid on the monkey bars."

"Orton-!"

"And don't even get me started on your fashion sense. Can't you just pick one colour and leave it at that?"

"Randy-"

"Then you show up here, acting like you belong and like everyone's your friend."

"Randy-!"

"You've been here a couple of days and already you're more liked that me. It's disgusting! I bust my ass for this company."

"Randy-!"

"I don't get any recognition and you just get it all handed to you! It makes me sick!"

"Randy! Would you please, just-!" She cut herself off, suddenly grabbing Randy's face whilst he was getting ready to launch into another tirade and kissed him hard on the mouth. He froze, stunned into complete stillness. Tahni pulled away after a few seconds and then let out a long sigh of relief. Randy just stared at her. "Now, would you please just, shut up!" She shook her head then grabbed her beer and walked away from him. He just stood there, completely unable to move or speak. It took about two minutes before functionality resumed in his brain. "What the hell just happened?!" He turned sharply to see Tahni was now dancing with Chris Irvine, laughing as he kept tripping over his own feet. He felt like someone had just thrown a cold, wet blanket over him and he swore under his breath, rubbing a hand over his shaven head. "Oh no…"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry this one took a while to get out, writer's block has been plaguing me! I want to take this moment to apologise for taking part in the ridiculous strike that happened on this site last week. I wish I hadn't been so stupid to get involved in it and I feel like a prize idiot now. I love my reviewers and the people who fave/alert my stories and I promise never to be so selfish and egotistical again. So, with that out of the way...thank you to: _GreyLionDiva, Aura Master, JenniferRayne, Souless666, Tenshi no Koneko, Kyahbell, Christina89 and BronzeDragonFlower!_ You guys really do make my day, I would certainly not have gotten far with this one without you guys! I've never written comedy before, so it's nice to know I'm doing okay :D**

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The night went far too quickly for Tahni's liking and she and Chris spent thirty minutes trying to convince everyone to convene in the lobby to continue their merriment. Tahni even offered to supply the beer. Much to her disappointment and much to the relief of the staff at the hotel, the others declined. Tahni allowed Glen to steer her towards her room, complaining very loudly and then singing Slow Chemical (badly) at him, as if to annoy him into submission. He simply rolled his eyes, stopping as they reached her door. "How much have you had to drink, Cauldwell?"

Tahni lifted her hand, presenting four fingers at him. He snorted. "You're drunk on four beers?" Tahni shook her head fervently, looking insulted. "Not drunk. Besides it was one beer, three tequilas."

"Riiight. That makes it so much better. Silly me."

"Exactly! Silly Glen! Silly, silly Glen!"

"Bed time, Tahni."

"Hey, Kane-"

"Glen."

"No, you're Glen. I'm Tahni."

"You called me Kane."

"I did not!" Tahni looked completely scandalised and waved her finger at him threateningly. "Don't try and confuse me, Mark."

"Glen."

"No, _you're_ Glen. I'm Tahni. Duh. God, how drunk are you?" Glen laughed and restrained the urge to throttle the tottering woman in front of him. He reached around her and opened the door, pointing inside. "Bed." Tahni glanced over her shoulder, then looked at him and clapped like a teacher might to a surprisingly clever kindergarten student. "Ooh, well done! You got it right. Yes, Steven. That is a bed."

"Where the hell did you get Steven from?!"

"I have a Steven? Where?" Tahni began looking around and Glen groaned out loud, then gently shoved her into her room. Tahni backed up, looking shocked. "Dude, you know I love you, but…not like that!"

"Go to bed, Tahni!" Glen glowered at her, trying not to be amused. He then turned to leave, but as he reached the door, he heard a thud followed by Tahni's voice. "Ah, shit. Hey, John, I think I broke my foot." Glen rolled his eyes and turned to see Tahni sat on the floor by the side of the bed, rubbing her foot. He walked over to her and lifted her easily into his arms, dumping her unceremoniously on the bed. She let out a small scream and scrabbled about for a moment, before sitting up. Her short hair was sticking up in every direction and she was pouting at him. "That wasn't nice."

"Goodnight, Tahni."

"Night, Mike…Shit! Mikey!" Glen frowned a little, watching as Tahni suddenly dived towards the phone and began punching in numbers. "Um..Tahni, it's three in the m-"

"Shush, Thomas. Very important phone call. MIKEY!" She suddenly squealed down the phone and Glen shook his head, leaving her to it. On the other end of the phone, Mikey was unimpressed by the three am phone call from his best friend. "Tahni? What the hell?"

"Michael, I just wanted to say, that I love you very, very, very, very much and I am very, very, very, very sorry I haven't called."

"Um…are you drunk?"

"NO! Why would you say something like that?"

"Because you're calling me at three in the morning and telling me you love me…and apologising for not calling when you called yesterday afternoon."

"Minor details. Shut up. I love you."

"I love you too, T."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"I kissed Randy Orton."

"D- WHAT?!" Tahni winced, holding the phone away from her ear slightly, before giggling. "He wouldn't shut up."

"So you kissed him?!"

"Yep."

"…"

"Mikey?"

"You hate Randy Orton."

"Yes, I do."

"Then why did you kiss him?"

"It shut him up."

"…Was it good?"

"Ew! Mikey!…yeah."

"Holy shit, Tahni."

"I know."

"So…"

"The Undertaker stole my beer."

"What?"

"Yeah…then Glen stole the other one. I still think he's Kane really, Y'know. He just pretends that he's not. He's a sneaky one."

"Tahni…"

"Yah?"

"You kissed Randy Orton!"

"Did I?! Holy shit! That's disgusting!"

"Goodnight, Tahni."

"Huh?" The line went dead and Tahni stared at it in bemusement, then shrugged and wriggled out of her clothes before laying down to sleep, the night's events becoming nothing more than a muddle of confused dreams.

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_Thud. Thud. Thud_. "Owwwwwwwww." Tahni groaned, rolling onto her stomach and stuffing her face into the pillow. It sounded like someone was banging on the inside of her head. She squeezed her eyes tight shut, her hands threading into her head. _Thud. Thud. Thud._ Wait a minute…her head shot up and she instantly regretted it, wincing. It wasn't someone banging on her brain, there was someone at the door. She squinted a little in the direction of the door and then grimaced. "Who is it?" She called out, then winced again, holding her head.

"It's Glen."

"Fuck off."

"Are you decent?"

"No. Fuck off." Without further warning, Glen opened the door and walked inside with a paper bag in one hand and a coffee in the other. Tahni glared at him, sitting up. Glen quickly averted his eyes and Tahni looked down. What was the big deal? She had a bra and shorts on. She shrugged and then grabbed a t-shirt from the floor beside the bed and pulled it on. "You can look now. Prude." She grimaced again as her own voice set of drums in her head. "Ow." She said weakly. Glen chuckled and set the bag down next to her, putting the coffee on the bedside table. "A bit fragile, this morning?" Tahni flipped him off and then rooted around in the bag, pulling out the fresh bagel. She looked at it like it was something holy needing to be worshipped, then devoured it. Glen watched in amazement as she made the bagel disappear in just a few seconds. "How are you not fat?"

"Pure talent." Tahni explained, picking up her coffee. Glen sat down beside the bed, looking at her with an amused expression. "So, do you remember kissing Randy last night." Tahni spat coffee everywhere and then turned to stare at him. "What did you say?"

"Oh come on, you weren't even drunk at that point!" Tahni looked thoughtful, then shook her head. "I did have a couple of beers before we went out." Glen snorted and shook his head. "Yeah, you kissed Randy."

"Oh, ew!" She suddenly hopped out of bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door. The next thing Glen heard was the shower running and Tahni gargling and cursing.

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**A/N: I've had a couple of messages about some of the terminology I've used from time to time and just wanted to remind my readers I am British, so my knowledge of American terminology is limited and I only go on what I know. I'm sorry if I get it wrong now and then, I do the best with the resources that I have :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I am very sorry this has taken so long, my laptop busted and I had to go out and buy a new one. Always fun. Thank you to my reviewers from the last chapter; **_**Anis C-Bear, GreyLionDiva, Tenshi no Koneko, Punk81 Kyahbell, Souless666 **_**and **_**Christina89**_**. I hope that you enjoy this one :)

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Glen was resisting the urge to either brain himself on the nearest wall, or find a janitor's closet somewhere that he could stuff Tahni into. It had been three days since the incident in the bar and yet she had not stopped complaining about it. Her shower that day had lasted for an hour and a half and she had insisted on brushing her teeth at least every hour. She'd been avoiding Randy ever since. In some ways, Glen was grateful for that, at least there had been no more arguments, but her constant griping was driving him insane and once more he found himself wondering over the bizarre friendship that had developed between him and the impish girl.

"Glen! Are you listening to me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Are you complaining about Randy again?"

"No." This announcement caused Glen to look at her in surprise, his eyebrows shooting up. He fixed her with a hard look and she stopped walking to look back at him. They just stared at one another for a few moments, before Tahni finally gave in, "Alright, so I was." Glen nodded and then carried on walking. They were heading down to the curtain and Glen was happy in the knowledge that she would have to be quiet, at least for as long as the match lasted. "You read your script, right?"

"Um...was I supposed to?"

"Tahni!"

"What? All they ever say is 'look scared'."

"Oh boy." Glen ran a hand over his head. This was going to be interesting. Alright, so Tahni had no speaking part, but this meant she had no idea what was going to happen. She was going to freak out. Live on television. Perfect. He had no time to quickly fill her in as his music hit and they had to go out to the ring. Tahni seemed to have even more energy than usual, tugging almost constantly at the cuffs which were now a trademark to keep her attached to the bottom rope of the ring. She had become known as some kind of trophy of Kane's, a way of reminding his opponents what would happen if he lost. He won his match, as planned and then exited the ring and released Tahni from the cuffs, saying quietly to her so that only she would hear. "Don't freak out." Tahni frowned at him then her head snapped round as the titantron lit up.

_I hear voices in my head,_

_They counsel me,_

_They understand,_

_They talk to me!_

"What the hell!?" Tahni stared as Randy appeared at the top of the ramp. She was speechless and Glen wished he'd had time to pause and appreciate it for the miracle that it was, but he had rather more to concentrate on. Namely, a certain third generation superstar, currently running down the ramp with a steel chair in his hands. The information he had not had time to impart to Tahni and that he had not mentioned previously because of her already constant complaining, was that one of the creative writers had seen her kiss Randy and had decided that, since they were planning on turning him baby-face anyway, that it would be good to work him into their storyline.

The audience weren't sure what to make of it, but they were cheering nonetheless. Randy beat Kane down with the chair, leaving the big man laid out on the matted floor, half curled up in pain, one arm curled around his head, a handily placed blood capsule burst over his left eye. Randy then approached Tahni, who was stood, staring at him in mute shock, having still not recovered her voice. He spoke to her loud enough for it to be picked up by the microphones. "Are you alright?" When she didn't answer, he stepped towards her and she jumped back. It wasn't in the script, her reaction was genuine, but the crowd took it as a reaction to having been so badly treated by Kane that she was afraid of pretty much everyone.

Slowly, she seemed to notice where they were, half guessing what was going on and knew that she had an appearance to keep up, even if she didn't fully understand why. She allowed him to put an arm around her shoulders, resisting the desire to make a comment about his oil-slicked skin and let him lead her backstage. As soon as they were through the curtain, she dived away from him and began frantically wiping down her top, "Ew! How much oil do you put on your skin?! My top is ruined!" Randy glared at her, shaking his head, "Have I ever mentioned how annoying you are?" Tahni's head snapped up and she seemed to hone in on him, her emerald eyes narrowing, "What the hell were you even doing out there, Orton?"

"Did you even read your script?"

"No."

"You're such an idiot."

"Assclown."

"Can't you come up with something new?"

"Why change a tried and tested method? God, why did they have to include you in our storyline?"

"Well, if you hadn't kissed me, I wouldn't have to be involved in your stupid storyline!"

"Well, if you had shut up, I wouldn't have kissed you!"

"Oh, so you always kiss people who talk too much? It's a wonder you're not permanently sucking on a mirror then!" Tahni gasped and for a moment, Randy felt a sense of victory at having gotten one over on her, but moments later the smirk was wiped off his face as he felt himself hit the ground. The crazy imp had tackled him to the floor! He was too shocked to move as she grabbed him by the ears and bounced his head off the floor. He saw stars, recovering enough to be grateful that this was an area where a lot of superstar stretched, so the floor was matted. She weighed nothing at all, he could hardly feel her sitting on him as she lifted his head to bounce it again, but abruptly, the small amount of pressure caused by her weight, was gone. Randy lay there for a moment, just staring up, before he sat up to see Glen holding onto Tahni who was wriggling and kicking in his hold. "Let me go! Get off me you giant....giant person! Get off!" She tipped her head right back to glare at Glen, who simply looked down at her with a bored expression. It was clear that it was taking very little effort from him to hold onto her as she put in every ounce of her strength to try and fight him off. Glen then turned his eyes on Randy enquiringly, "You alright, Orton?" Randy scowled and shoved himself to his feet, "Alright? Alright?! If you can't control your pets, Jacobs, you shouldn't bring them to work with you."

"Hey, come on. There's no need for that."

"She bounced my head off the floor!"

"I would have done it sooner, but your head's so small it's hard to get a good grip." Glen let out an exasperated sigh as Tahni decided to chip in to the conversation. Randy glared at her, his eyes boring out of his eyes like chips of steel. "Fuck. You." He pronounced the two words very slowly and with great exaggeration, Tahni just smirked at him, "You. Wish."

"I hate you."

"The feeling's mutual."

"You are the most unprofessional person I have ever had the displeasure to meet!"

"This coming from the person that got the Heavyweight Title taken off him because he couldn't act." It was immediately clear that this was exactly the wrong thing to say. Randy stalked towards her and she wriggled free of Glen's arms to square up to him, though the top of her head only just about reached his chin. She tilted her head back to meet his furious glare. His hands moved, quicker than anyone could have anticipated, to grasp her face and he crashed his lips against hers in a violent kiss that was clearly meant to be a punishment. She wriggled wildly, hitting and kicking out at him. He released her after a few long moments, smirked and then simply walked away. Glen quickly grabbed Tahni as she made to run after him. "Let me go!"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kill him!"

"Now, Tahni, we've discussed this. If you kill Randy, we don't get paid."

"I don't care! I am going to kill him!"

"No killing Orton."

"Why?!"

"Because I can't afford the insurance claim."

"Fuck the insurance! I'm going to kill him!"

"Then who will you annoy?"

"I'll annoy The Miz...he looks like he could do with being annoyed."

"No, Tahni."

"Why not?"

"Because Mike is annoying enough without your help."

"Mike?"

"The Miz."

"Yes...but who is Mike?"

"Mike is The Miz."

"The Miz, is The Miz."

"He's called Mike."

"No, he's called The Miz."

"Okay, Tahni."

"I need a shower...with bleach."

"Bleach?"

"Baby oil is really difficult to get off."

"Ah."

"Glen?"

"Yes?"

"Can I kill Orton now?"

"No, Tahni."

"Why not?"

"Because you kill Orton, Vince kills me, I get Mark to resurrect me and then I kill you."

"So...killing Orton...kills me?"

"Precisely."

"Fuck."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews; Christina89, always a pleasure. Taykit12, welcome and thank you very much. KyahBell, I am glad I could brighten up your working day! :D. Souless666, most of my inclusion of Mark into this are for you, I hope you enjoy! Musichick06, what can I say? Except thank you so much for being a constant support :) And thank you to everyone who faved and alerted!**

**And a HUGE thank you to everyone who brought my attention to the fact that I had updated with the WRONG chapter! XD**

**So, on with the show! Enjoy!**

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"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No! I won't do it! You can't make me!"

"You're doing it."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Why do you want me to suffer?"

"It amuses me."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"Damn...alright...I _want_ to hate you!"

"Fine. You're doing it."

"You can't make me!"

"I've got three hundred and twenty-three pounds and seven feet that says, I can."

"I hate you."

"Of course you do." Glen smirked at Tahni as she glared at him, with a stubborn expression on her face. They had just received their scripts and it turned out that Tahni was now to stop being Kane's 'prize' and become Randy's instead. Firstly, she was horrified that she would have to spend more time with Randy and secondly, she hated being objectified and made to behave like a helpless child who couldn't take care of them self. Granted, against Kane, someone Tahni's size and build would have been decimated. In fact, given her small stature, she'd be pretty much screwed against most of the male wrestlers, but that didn't mean she wouldn't give it a good go and she was insane enough to stand a chance of pulling it off.

"Glen, I am not going to be a nicey nice with the assclown!"

"Yes, you are. Or you'll lose your job."

"Fine. I quit."

"No, you don't."

"Damnit! Stop doing that!"

"Don't be such a baby."

"I'm going to kick your giant ass in a minute!"

"I don't have a giant ass!"

"Glen, you're a giant...by definition, you have a giant ass. Deal with it."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"Shut up." Glen scowled at her, pouting a little. "You can kiss my giant a-"

"Glen." Both Glen and Tahni turned. Glen smiled and nodded whilst Tahni let out a small scream and ducked behind him, peering out from around his arm to look at Mark, who was walking towards them with a brooding expression on his face. His eyes found Tahni and narrowed in a curious way, causing Tahni to emit a small squeak and duck out of sight. Glen smirked and looked at the other man. "What can I do for you?"

"Can I get a ride to the hotel after the show? My bike's in the shop."

Glen nodded, nudging Tahni who had chosen that moment to bury her face in his back. "Yeah, no problem." Mark said nothing more and walked away. Tahni crept around to Glen's front again and glared at him. "I'm walking back to the hotel."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Miss Cauldwell, you're on in five." Tahni glared at the crew member, who was gone before she could correct him. She hated it when people called her that. She sighed and allowed Glen to take her arm and half drag her down the corridor until they reached the cameras. Randy was already there and he did not look any happier about this than Tahni did. That cheered her up significantly. If it was annoying him, then she couldn't hate it too much. She bounced over to him. "Hi, assclown." Randy opened his mouth to make some cutting remark, but they were indicated that the cameras were about to start rolling.

Tahni leaned on the wall, looking downcast and ran her fingers through her messy short hair. Randy walked into shot quietly, causing her to jump as she noticed him. He held his hands up in a bracing manner. "Don't freak. It's just me."

"What do you want?" Tahni eyed him suspiciously.

"Look, I've heard that Kane's in the arena tonight. It's not safe for you to be by yourself. I want you to come down to ringside with me during my match."

"You mean you want me to be _your_ trophy now." That wasn't in the script and Randy's eyes flashed dangerously, but he held character, "No, I am just trying to make sure that you're safe."

"Fine." Tahni turned her face away from him as the cameras cut out.

"What the hell was that?" Randy demanded, furiously. Tahni looked at him and then stuck her tongue out and bounded over to where Glen was waiting for her. "Hey! I asked you a question!" Randy's voice followed her and she turned slowly to look at him. "And I decided not to waste my breath answering. Don't you have some baby oil to go and abuse before your match?"

"You messed with the script!"

"Aw...does Randykins get confused when things don't go how he wanted them to?" Tahni spoke to him as if he were a toddler throwing a tantrum and his gaze darkened, clearly considering violence. "Who the hell do you think you are? Coming in here and messing everything up."

"Hey, it's not my fault that you have no ass."

"What?! We weren't even talking about that!"

"No, but I suspect it's where a lot of your frustration comes from. Jealousy. I mean, take my good friend Kane, here-"

"Glen."

"Shush, Kane." She turned her attention back to Randy, smirking, "He has a fabulous ass and it must be very upsetting for you to be surrounded by men such as him, who have bodies which are in proportion and then to return to your mirror and be confronted by your freakish lack of ass and disturbingly small head." At this point, Glen could see the veins in Randy's neck and forehead starting to pop out, which surely meant he was about to explode. He grabbed Tahni's arm lightly, but insistently. "Tahni, what have I told you about being mean to the other kids?"

"Not to do it." Tahni's voice sounded exasperated and apologetic. She looked at Randy, a new smirk painting itself on her face. "See you at the curtain, Randykins." She wiggled her fingers at him and let Glen lead her away before Randy could recover enough to charge at her. One thing was for certain, his match was going to be an interesting one.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So this chapter is kind of a pivotal moment in the story. I was gonna take it one of two ways and as I was writing, this occurred and made up my mind for me. Hope you like it!**

**Thank you to Souless666, Christina89 and Musichick06 for letting me know that I'd posted the wrong chapter last time and for their reviews once it was corrected! Also thanks to; Taykit12, GreyLionDiva and the every lovely JenniferRayne for your reviews :) **

**Struggling a little with the comedy (I'm not a natural comedy writer) so any ideas are welcome. Let me know something you'd really like to see and I'll try and work it in!**

**So, on with the show!**

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_Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to Friday Night Smackdown where moments ago we saw Dolph Ziggler hit Randy Orton with a devastating flying DDT. Orton lying prone in the ring, not moving. Ziggler goes for the cover and one...two... what the hell?! _

_Tahni Cauldwell, the girl that has been Kane's prisoner for weeks only to be rescued by The Viper last week, just grabbed Ziggler's ankle and pulled him away from Orton!_

_Ziggler is furious! Tahni scrambling to get out of the ring!_

_Hey, come on now! She's not even a wrestler! Let go of her!_

_Ziggler dragging Tahni back into the ring by her hair! And look at the fear on that young woman's face._

_This girl has been traumatised by Kane and when she comes to the aid of the person who saved her from that, she gets hands put on her by Dolph Ziggler! This is disgusting!_

_Wait a minute! RKO! RKO out of nowhere!_

_Orton hit the RKO out of thin air! Here's the cover! One...two...three! Orton picks up the win!_

Tahni pulled herself up from the mat where she'd fallen when Randy distracted Dolph into turning around. Her gaze met Randy's and though no-one else would have seen it, the animosity blazed between them, the urge to antagonise. As scheduled, Randy pulled her into a hug, holding her too tightly, squeezing the breath out of her, but she still managed to choke some words out, "You suck, Assclown."

"You're not so great yourself, Imp." The hug ended and they forced smiles at one another as the ref raised Randy's hand and then they left the ring. Once through the curtain they turned to look at one another and Tahni smirked. "I so saved your non-existant ass out there."

"It was in the script. Doesn't count."

"Tell that to the fans."

"Don't you have some dolls to go play with?"

"Don't you have some baby oil to bleach off your skin?"

"Why don't you just grow up?"

"See, there's the difference between you and I, Orton; I can change my personality; you're stuck with your freakish looks."

"You know, it's going to be a very good day when your contract finishes up."

"Oh yeah, about that; I just re-signed."

"What?!"

"Yep. You're stuck with me."

"You don't even wrestle!"

"Just because I don't, doesn't mean that I can't."

"Like anyone's ever going to take you seriously."

"This coming from the biggest joke in the WWE?"

"I am not a joke!"

"Really? 'Cause I laugh every time I see you."

"You're pathetic."

"Don't fear your love for me, Randy. It's only natural."

"I hate you."

"So you keep saying. Methinks he doth protest too much."

"What the hell does that mean?!"

"Really, Orton? Really?!" Tahni shook her head in disbelief, then felt a large hand come down on her shoulder. She turned to see Glen and then squealed happily and all but jumped on him, throwing her arms around him. "Glenny!"

"Glenny?" Glen looked at her with a bemused expression, setting her back down on her feet. She nodded and grinned, "I'm trying it out. What do you think?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"You promise not to get upset."

"I promise."

"I hate it."

"What?! How could you say that?!"

"You promised not to get upset."

"I'm not upset you giant, ungrateful bastard." Tahni pouted and folded her arms, suddenly oblivious to Randy standing close by watching the bizarre interaction. Glen rolled his eyes at her, but she just pouted more and made her eyes impossibly big. It was, without a doubt, the most pitiful expression Glen had ever seen and because it was Tahni, it was completely irresistible. He sighed in defeat, "Alright, fine. I love it! Use it more!" Tahni clapped her hands happily, then seemed to remember what she had been doing before Glen had appeared. She turned to look at Randy again, mischief in her eyes, "Hey, Glenny? Did you see me save Orton's freakishly invisible ass out there?"

"Yes, I saw it."

"So you agree on the ass thing?"

"What? Tahni!"

"I'm only asking!"

"I refuse to comment on Orton's ass."

"Why?"

"Because it's weird!"

"True. His ass _is _weird."

"I'm standing right here!" Randy growled angrily, glaring at both Tahni and Glen now. Glen was looking apologetic, attempting to hide his amusement, Tahni simply looked smug. "Well, go away."

"Excuse me? I was here first!"

"Actually, I got here at three fifteen, you didn't arrive until three twenty. So technically, I was here first."

"I meant the company!"

"Don't be so childish." Tahni nodded firmly and Randy choked on air in disbelief and Tahni felt a flash of triumph. Try as he might, Randy just couldn't seem to get the upper hand on this girl and it was driving him insane. She always seemed to get the last word. He was sick of it and his mouth engaged before his brain, pure venom seeping from his tone, "Don't you get it already? No-one wants you around. They put up with you because they want something from you. You're nothing and you always will be. The others laugh at you because you're so clueless. I bet that's happened your whole life. People not wanting to talk to you because you're so god damned irritating. You're a freak, Cauldwell." He knew the instant he stopped talking, that he'd gone too far. He saw something dark flash through Tahni's eyes before she turned and ran down the corridor. He was shocked with himself, shocked by his own malice. His gaze met Glen's and he felt a jolt of fear wash through him at the expression on the big man's face.

Glen walked slowly walked towards him and he had to fight the urge to step back to protect himself from the anger emanating from the other man. When he spoke, his voice was low and deadly, "You're going to regret that, Orton." Without another word, Glen turned and stalked away. He needed to find Tahni. He'd seen her reaction as soon as Randy had started talking, the sudden tension that flashed through her and he'd seen the hurt in her eyes. He alone of the rest of the roster knew that Tahni had been rejected by her peers her entire life. Her sunny disposition worked almost like a defence mechanism, making her able to brush off the hurt. Whilst she had been here, she'd made a lot of friends and seemed to feel that she'd finally found where she belonged, so Orton's tirade had served only to shatter those beliefs, leaving her open and vulnerable.

* * *

Randy felt horrible. He wasn't sure why, though. He hated Tahni. She made his blood boil and yet, he couldn't shake the guilt. He'd seen the pain flash through her eyes and he should have felt triumphant, but instead he felt like an absolute bastard. Their arguments were often heated and tended to get a bit out of control, but they never passed certain boundaries. They seemed to stay within a set code and he'd completely broken that. He'd completely attacked her character. He'd said things to intentionally hurt her when she only ever said things that were meant to annoy him.

He sat on his bed in his hotel room, frowning at nothing. He was supposed to be going out with the other superstars but he really didn't feel like it. He sighed and stood up, re-adjusting the collar on his slate blue shirt and then left the room. He spotted Glen in the lobby and debated with himself for a moment, his eyes flicking between the assembled superstars waving him over and Glen stood glaring at him. Now, any sane person would have run screaming to the safety of the others, but Orton wasn't exactly sane most of the time, so he cautiously approached Glen, whose gaze darkened further as he approached. "What do you want, Orton?"

Randy tried not to flinch. He lifted his chin a little, determined to hold his ground, "What room is she in?"

"Like I'm going to tell you."

"I just want to apologise."

"That'll be a first."

"Come on, Jacobs!"

"I'm not gonna help you ease your conscience. You'll only upset her more."

"I will not."

"Yes, you will."

"Stop being a jackass."

"What?" Glen's whole demeanour suddenly became threatening and Randy backed off instantly, putting his hands up in surrender. He really didn't want to get laid out in the middle of the hotel lobby. "Just tell me what room she's in, please?"

Glen glared at him for long, continuous moments, taking great pleasure in the knowledge that his intense gaze was creeping the smaller man out. Part of him wanted to pound him into breadcrumbs. He'd spent three hours sitting with Tahni whilst she alternately cried her eyes out and threw everything within reach. He'd never have believed it possible that she could behave like that. He'd only ever seen her...well, insane actually. It was all the more distressing to watch because it was so opposite to the girl he'd gotten used to and every protective instinct within him had flared up. There was no excuse for hurting someone like Tahni. He wanted to kick Orton's non-existent ass up and down the corridor for what he'd done, but some part of him, the part that spoke with a reasonable tone, conceded that he deserved a chance to apologise and failing that, Tahni might rip his head off and wear it as a hat, which would be entertaining. So really, all the odds were in favour of him telling Orton where she was. Eventually, he nodded curtly. "Alright. She's in room two-oh-six. If you upset her, I will break every bone in your body." Randy nodded, he was not about to argue. A thought occurred to him as Glen started walking away and he had to ask, "Hey, Jacobs. What is it about her that makes you like her so much?"

Glen turned to look at him and there was a slight smile on his face. "She's real." He walked away again, leaving Randy to ponder what that might mean. He shook his head and then headed for the elevator. He had no idea what he was going to say, he would at least try not to be outwardly hostile. He just couldn't stand the guilt anymore. This was entirely for his benefit. He'd make himself feel better and then never speak to her again.

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**A/N: How is Tahni going to react when she gets a visit from The Viper, himself? Will she be wearing a new hat? Or will they settle their differences and become the best of friends?....Highly unlikely, but you never know! Stranger things have happened in the WWE! Tune in next time, to find out! :D**

**Also, I've had some questions about where Tahni's name came from. It's actually my older sister's name. She and my older brother died in a car accident the day before Christmas eve in 1996, so the character is kind of a tribute to her. She was a lot like this character is :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, been having real problems with writer's block. This chapter was a lot of fun to write once I was actually able to sit down and write it. It's got some of my favourite moments in it. Thanks for the ideas, you guys. They've been really helpful.**

**Thanks as always to; _Tenshi no Konek_o (your reviews give me really good ideas), _JenniferRayne_ (thank you for taking the time to talk to me), _Christina89_ (your continued support means a great deal to me), _Souless666_ (you fuel my Undertaker muse), _KyahBell_ (the enthusiasm of your responses always cheers me up) and of course, _GreyLionDiva_ (you are very sweet and so encouraging, I really do appreciate it).**

**So, on with the show!

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"Open the damn door!"

"Go away!"

"Open the door!"

"No! I hate you!"

"I'll break it! I swear I will!"

"Fuck you!"

"Open the door!"

"No!"

Randy growled at the door in front of him. It hadn't taken long for his noble intentions to disappear when Tahni had opened the door only to slam it immediately in his face, actually catching his nose with it and causing him to bleed a little. He stemmed the flow of scarlet with the previously immaculate sleeve of his tailored shirt. The hand that wasn't held to his nose, slammed against the door, the side of his fist impacting with a dull thud. "I just wanted to apologise!"

"Fine. Now, go away!"

"I'm not leaving until you open the door!"

"I'm not opening the door! I hate you!"

"I don't care! Open the damn door!"

Something hit the door from the other side, causing Randy to step back a little in surprise form the unexpected noise. He scowled. This was beginning to really test his patience. All she had to do was open the door so that he could apologise and be on his way, but of course, she had to make things difficult. "Open the door or I'm coming through it!"

"Break my door and I'll break your face!"

"I'd be surprised if you could reach!"

"Randy?...Why are you shouting at a door?" Randy looked up to see Cody Rhodes approaching him down the corridor. The younger man wore a very bemused expression on his face. Randy felt himself flush lightly and lowered his blood-stained arm from his face. "What did you do to your face?"

"I didn't do anything! It was her!" Randy pointed indignantly at the door which just seemed to increase Cody's confusion. "The door made your nose bleed?"

"What? Don't be stupid, Cody! That...imp inside the door made my nose bleed!"

"There's an imp inside of the door?" If Randy hadn't been so wound up already, he'd have been able to see the amusement in Cody's expression and have known he was being made fun of, as it was, he was far to incensed to pay attention. "Are you being deliberately stupid, or is it just your natural disposition?" Cody simply rolled his eyes in response and approached the door, knocking lightly. "Uh...if there's an imp inside this door, can you not punch my friend in the face, please?"

"The door didn't punch me you idiot!"

"Who's that?" Tahni's voice came from within the room and Cody jumped back dramatically, clutching his heart. "Randy, you were right! There _is_ something inside the door!" Randy slapped Cody across the back of the head and punched the door again. "Open the door, Imp!"

"Y'know for someone who's trying to apologise, you're doing a piss poor job of it!"

"You were apologising?" Cody feigned an astounded look which caused Randy's expression to darken even further. He suddenly stepped forward and kicked the door with perhaps a little more force than he had intended, causing it to burst open, knocking it off the top hinges so that it hung at a strange angle. Tahni had been sat on the floor at the bottom of her bed and flinched violently when the door broke, then stared in astonishment at Randy. "You broke my door!"

"I told you I would!"

"You assclown! You broke my door!"

"I think we already established that." Cody piped in helpfully, causing Tahni to look at him accusingly. "Who are you?"

"Cody Rhodes."

"Hmm...aren't you supposed to hate Orton?"

"Only on t.v."

"That's a shame."

"Why?"

"I hate him all the time."

"Ouch. Tough break, Randy." This earned him another slap upside the head. He rubbed the spot where Randy had hit him and peered through the gaping doorway at Tahni. "You know what? I'm on your side." He stepped through the door and walked towards Tahni, holding out a hand to pull her to her feet. Once she was up, she smirked in a smug manner at Randy, who was glaring at Cody. "Cody, you're such a little bitch. Get back here now."

"No way. You hit me and you broke this chick's door. I'm on her team now."

"Suck it, Orton."

"Look, Imp-"

"That doesn't sound like an apology to me." Tahni stated sharply, folding her arms over her chest. Cody watched them with amusement. Randy let his breath out through gritted teeth and prayed for patience. He looked at Cody with a clearly livid expression. "Why don't you run along and tell the hotel managed that the door fell off."

"But it didn't fall off. You kicked it."

"Rhodes!"

"I'm going, I'm going. Jeez. Keep your hair....wait...never mind." Cody ducked out; narrowly avoiding Randy's swinging hand. Once he had scampered off down the hall, Randy looked at Tahni again. She was glaring at him with her arms tightly folded. He felt like a naughty child that had just been caught doing something he shouldn't have been. "Look, Imp-"

"I have a name."

"Well, what is it?" Tahni stared at him as if he were insane and then shook her head furiously, unfolding her arms and stepping towards him threateningly. "We work together and you don't even know my name?!"

"I was kidding. Tahni, look; I'm sorry, okay? I was a jerk."

"You're always a jerk."

"I'm trying to apologise."

"You're failing."

"Why do you have to make this difficult?"

"Why? Why?! Why did you have to lay into me like you did?! Why did you make me feel like an idiot?! Why did you embarrass me in front of my friend?!"

Randy flinched slightly, her voice was so angry. It wasn't something he was used to from her. He tried to brush it off. "Come on. We always fight. It's what we do!"

"I have never personally attacked your character! I make fun of you, yes. I don't like you! But I have enough respect for what you do, the work you put in, to hold my tongue on certain issues! You crossed the line, Orton! You proved exactly how much of a bastard you are! So take your apology and stick it up your non-existent ass!"

Randy was stunned. He just looked at her as she stood there; breathing a little hard from her anger, her short hair falling into her huge, green eyes which still held the remnants of the hurt he had caused and a realisation hit him. It was not a pleasant one. In fact, it was so unwelcome that he cringed away from it and shoved it out of his mind. "What do you have against my ass?"

"Nothing. It's not there!"

"Would you just accept my apology and we can get on with our lives?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because some things can't be fixed with a false apology."

"It's not false!"

"I'm not convinced!"

"You want me to beg?! Is that what you want?!"

"It would be a good start!" They stood glaring at one another from the across the room. Their shouting would surely have drawn attention were it not for the fact that all they ever seemed to do was shout at each other. "I'm not gonna beg."

"Then you're going to have to ease your conscience some other way."

"Why are you being so difficult?!"

"Why are you such an ass?!"

"Maybe I'm making up for my lack of one!" Randy could not believe the words had just passed his mouth and neither could Tahni. They both stared at each other in shock. Tahni quickly covered her mouth, trying to disguise the laughter that was bubbling up in her chest. Randy looked like he had a nasty taste in his mouth and wished he could suck the words back out of the air and slap himself before he'd said it. It had just come out, it was meant to be sarcastic, but the elevated volume of his voice had removed all tone from it until it sounded like a mere statement rather than a dig at her. He lifted his hands to press the heels of them into his eyes, grimacing slightly. This was not going at all to plan. He sighed and let his hands fall, scowling at the young woman standing opposite him, still separated by the length of the room. "Alright. So you got me to admit it. Now will you accept my apology?"

Tahni seemed to think about it for a long time, before a small smirk appeared on her face, "Nope."

"What?! Why?!"

"Because, Randy! This isn't about me getting one over on you! Don't you understand anything?! Are you really that stupid?!"

"What am I supposed to understand?!"

"Why don't you figure that one out for yourself and then come find me?"

"I hate you."

"Likewise. Get out of my room."

"Gladly." He turned to stalked out, but stopped as he reached the door, turning to glare at her again, "You know, I was trying to do the right thing here."

"Well you tanked. Get out."

"I really, really don't like you."

"My heart bleeds."

"You're such an idiot."

That simple statement, plus him still standing there when she'd told him to leave, seemed to snap something in Tahni head and she suddenly launched herself at him, tackling him to the ground and hitting every inch of him that she could reach. Randy tried desperately to cover up, or grab her hands, or anything but she wriggled free like a demented snake. The two of them rolled around the floor and right out of the door, only stopping when they rolled up against a set of legs. They froze. One of Randy's hands was wrapped around Tahni's wrist, whilst her free hand was around his throat. They both slowly lifted their eyes from the heavy black boots, along the equally black jeans to the dark blue shirt, continuing up until they met a very cold pair of blue eyes. Tahni's mouth seemed to re-engage first, predictably, "Holy shit, it's Mark."

"What are you doing?" Mark asked in a very slow, deliberate and borderline dangerous tone. Tahni quickly scrambled off Randy and stood up, backing off a little. Randy glared at her, then hauled himself to his feet. He wasn't going to be intimidated. "None of your business."

Mark's eyes, which had been on Tahni, suddenly snapped to Randy and the younger man visibly gulped, backing up a step. Mark followed, towering over him menacingly. "What did you say?"

"Yeah, go Mark." Tahni cheered, only to squeak in fear as Mark looked at her. He then turned his attention back to Randy, glaring at him. "I asked you a question."

Randy's mouth opened and closed uselessly as he tried to formulate a response, but nothing came out. Mark nodded slowly, "That's what I thought." Without another word, he swept off down the corridor, leaving Tahni and Randy staring after him. Tahni shook her head. "That is one scary man."

"For once, Imp; we agree on something."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So, I had to skip out on the comedy a little in this one to get where I needed to go, but I'm hoping there's enough chuckle moments to keep you happy! **

**Thank you so much to my reviewers from the last chapter! _Christina89, Tenshi no Koneko, Souless666, KyahBell, JenniferRayne, GreyLionDiva_ and my newest reviewer (welcome!) _LadyShinkukaze!_ You guys are so awesome and I'm sending a whole bunch of love your way!**

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"Oh my god, Tahni!"

"Oh my god, Chris!"

"I love your dress!"

"Really? I just bought it."

"So pretty."

"I love you!"

"So, how's working with Orton turning out for ya?"

"Uck."

"That good, huh?"

"He's a jerk."

"Ah, come on. He's not that bad."

"No...he really is." Tahni grimaced at her bottle of beer which was held delicately in her hand. Chris laughed. He knew, as pretty much everyone did, that Randy and Tahni loathed each other and he wasn't the only one amused by the fact that they had to work in such close proximity. Their arguments kept everyone amused, but no-one was stupid enough to comment on it. Everyone knew that Tahni was good friends with Glen and as much as he might be a gentle giant off screen, none of them wanted to be responsible for pissing him off.

"Oh hey, look. Speak of the devil..." Chris motioned towards the entrance to the bar where Randy had just entered. He was dressed immaculately as always in a white shirt, open at the neck, smart black pants and expensive Italian shoes. Tahni scowled at him, then her eyes drifted to the blonde who was draped over his arm like a throw. She was extremely beautiful, wearing a classic, little black dress and glittering black heels, which accentuated her impossibly long legs. Her downfall was the doting expression on her perfect face as she looked at Randy.

Tahni looked away in disgust. Stupid assclown. Wait...why should she even care? She frowned a little, letting her eyes flick back to what was quite possibly, the most annoying man in the world, examining the sudden flash of animosity. She just felt sorry for the poor woman hanging off his arm. Surely she'd be disappointed later when he dropped his pants and revealed the gaping hole where his ass should have been.

"Careful, with a face like that, people will think you're jealous."

Tahni almost jumped out of her skin as the amused voice sounded close to her ear. She turned quickly to find herself looking at none other than Ted DiBiase. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Don't be ridiculous."

Ted laughed and shrugged, leaning over the bar to order himself a beer. He then turned to Tahni and held out his hand, "I'm T-"

"I know. I'm Tahni." She shook his hand, rather curtly, then looked towards Randy again, who was now talking to Cody across the room. "So, you're friends with him in real life too?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Randy's cool."

"No, he's not."

"Sure, he is."

"He's really not."

"Why not?"

"He has no ass."

"Huh...never noticed that before..."

"It's true."

"I'm gonna take your word for it on that. I don't really wanna be looking at my friend's ass. You know?"

Tahni nodded and lifted her beer to her mouth, her eyes narrowing as she watched Randy. She came to the conclusion that she really could not stand that man. Ted watched her, closely. She looked very pretty, whether she knew it or not. Her dress was a very deep purple than hinted at red when the light hit it. It wasn't too clingy, just falling softly against her curves, reaching to a few inches above her knees in an uneven, almost jagged hemline and sitting off her shoulders. There was something almost fairy-like about her. "Wanna dance?"

Tahni looked at him, her green eyes surprised, but a smirk appeared on her face and she nodded. "Absolutely." She finished her beer in a swift gulp, grabbed Ted's hand and half dragged him into the swirling group of bodies that made up the dance floor. He was a little shocked by the speed of the movement but definitely not complaining. He was even more shocked by just how good a dancer she was. Ted was not a natural dancer, so keeping up with her was proving to be quite a mission, but the atmosphere she gave off seem to make that alright. It was...fun. Soon he was throwing himself around without a care and Tahni was encouraging him. "Yeah! Go, Ted! Shake that ass!"

Ted obliged by turning so his back was to her and sticking his butt in the air and wiggling it about. Tahni giggled and clapped, placing her hands on his hips whilst he was still slightly bent over. They were attracting quite a lot of attention and soon, with a little encouragement, Tahni had a conga line going all around the club.

Randy watched all of this with a scowl on his face. He was sitting in one of the booths that lined the walls, his arms stretched out along the back of the bench, glaring at the line of people dancing around the club with Tahni at its centre. He had almost forgotten about the beautiful woman sitting next to him, until her delicate hands tugged on the front of his shirt. "Come on, Randy. Let's join in. It'll be fun." She fluttered her long eyelashes at him and he shook his head, "No. Absolutely not."

"Pleeeeease?"

"No."

"Please?"

"I said, no."

"You're being very boring tonight."

"I'm boring every night."

"No, you're not. We've had lots of fun together."

"Not this time." Randy's tone had a finality to it that caused his companion to pout prettily. He looked at her, then moved one of his hands to tap her nose, "Don't even try it. Not gonna work." He then let his eyes drift back to Tahni, who was now trying to get everyone to do the Cha Cha Slide. How did she do that?! She even had Glen doing it! What was it about that girl that made people pay attention to her? His scowl returned as he watched her. Unfortunately for him, his date noticed the direction of his attention and was not impressed. She glared at Tahni, then abruptly got to her feet and stalked over to her. Randy, seeing the danger, stood up, almost falling over in his attempt to stop whatever she was planning. He'd seen Tahni in action. She'd put the other woman on her ass.

"Hey! Hey you!"

Tahni spun around, her expression curious and found herself face-to-face with Randy's date. Her eyebrows went up and she tilted her head, "Hi."

"Don't 'hi' me! You little tart!" The venom that came out of this woman's tone was indescribable and Tahni stared at her in shock, thinking she'd surely heard her wrong, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me! Look at you! Flaunting yourself around!"

"Do I know you?"

"No. Thank god! I'd never associate myself with a skank like you!" Now Tahni was really shocked and a little irritated. What exactly had she done wrong? Her eyes flashed up as another figure approached and she narrowed her eyes at Randy. So he was behind this. "You think this is funny, Orton? You send your little friend to bawl me out?"

"He didn't send me!" The woman screeched before Randy could say a word. Tahni looked at her again and loosely folded her arms, oblivious to the many faces now turning in their direction. "I don't know what your problem is, but why don't you go PMS elsewhere?"

"You know what? I really hate girls like you! You come around acting like everyone wants you, but look at you, you're a freak!" By this point, the beautiful blonde was right up in Tahni's face, their forehead's almost touching. Tahni was wearing flat boots, whereas this woman had heels on and they were pretty much the same height at the moment. Tahni had reached the limit of her patience. She backed up a step, planting her palm against the other woman's face slowly and then making a point of shoving her back. She watched her totter on her heels and then shook her head. "Look, princess; I don't know who you are, but you're irritating me. Go away."

"No, I won't go away! You ruined my night!" She was really screeching now, stamping her foot, her perfectly manicured hands curled into tight fists. Tahni stared at her and shook her head in disbelief, "How did I ruin your night?"

"Because _he_," She pointed to Randy, "like every other man in here, has spent all night staring at your slutty ass!"

Tahni's mouth popped open in shock and she flicked her eyes to Randy who had covered his face with his hand, then back to the woman in front of her. She was silent for a moment, before she suddenly burst out laughing, really laughing. She clutched her sides and almost doubled over from mirth. The woman stared at her in bemusement and annoyance. When she finally calmed down, she straightened up and looked at her, still snickering slightly, "Honey, I hate him. He hates me. Maybe you're just not enough to keep his attention."

"You're lying."

"No, lying wouldn't be half as much fun as this."

"You're just saying that because you want him!" This set Tahni off again and she went off into another fit of giggles, shaking her head. "Stop! Please, stop! You're gonna kill me!"

Randy was not impressed by how funny she was finding this. He grabbed his companion's arm. "Come on, Diana. We're leaving."

"I'm not leaving until I get an apology!" Tahni sobered up and looked at the woman that she now knew was called Diana and shook her head. She looked at her with a very serious expression and nodded gravely, "Of course. I am sorry, Diana. So very, very sorry. I'm sorry you will have such a shock when you get him home tonight."

Diana just looked confused and Randy opened his mouth to speak, but she cut across him, "What do you mean a shock?" She eyed Randy suspiciously, then looked back at Tahni who still wore her serious face, "Well, you see, Diana; Randy has no ass."

The convened superstars, who had gathered to see how this altercation turned out, all burst out laughing, but quickly tried to hide it with a series of unconvincing coughs. Diana looked confused again, whilst Randy glowered at Tahni. He moved forwards suddenly, his hand closing around her jaw painfully, "I've had just about enough of you embarrassing me in public." Tahni stared at him mutely for a moment, then pulled her face free.

"What's wrong, Randy-kins? Did I ruin your hot date?"

"Don't flatter yourself. Your childishness isn't going to work."

"Um...actually, Randy..." Diana's voice cut in, she was looking towards the back of his pants with a sceptical expression. "I just remembered...I gotta...bye." Without another word she turned and scuttled away. Tahni waved cheerfully after her. "Well, she was delightful! Darn, I should have got her number! We could have gotten together, gone shopping, done some Randy-bashing –my favourite sport- Ah, we could have become lifelong friends!" Tahni sighed regretfully, ignoring Randy' s murderous expression. She squeaked in alarm as he suddenly grabbed her arm and began dragging her towards the exit. She slapped him repeatedly wherever she could reach. "Hey! Lemme go! Rape! Murder! Crazy man with weirdly distorted body! Heeeeeelp!"

Randy stopped and glared at her, then picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She briefly caught a glimpse of her friends, all laughing too hard to make a move to help her and silently vowed to come back and haunt them if Randy murdered her. She beat her fists against his back, then became fascinated by something, making a loud observation. "Hey, Orton! I can see your ass! It _is _there! It's really small, but I see it! Hey, little assy! Look at you! You been hiding from me?" Randy jerked his shoulder, causing her to bounce uncomfortably. She winced and the scowled at the world as it retreated around her in reverse, resigned to her fate. She'd been in this position before, when she'd first met Glen. "This is way too familiar...that was a weird night as well."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So, this chapter was lots of fun to write. Some of you might be a little shocked by where this ends up, others might not. Anywho, enjoy :D**

**Thanks to; _Souless666, LadyShinkukaze, Christina89, Tenshi no Koneko, JenniferRayne, KyahBell _and_ GreyLionDiva_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys rock and I love you :D

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"Put me down, right now!"

"No."

"I'm serious! Put me down!"

"No."

"Put me down! Put me down!"

"No."

"Orton, I swear to god I will kill you!"

"That's not making me want to put you down." There was definite amusement in Randy's tone and it caused a scream of frustration to burst out of Tahni. She beat her fists against his back, futilely. He didn't even seem to feel it, just carried on walking. Tahni had absolutely no idea where they were going. It didn't seem like they were heading back towards the hotel, but it was difficult to tell from her position, not to mention she was a little drunk, so concentrating for any length of time was even more difficult than usual. "If you murder me, I will so set Mark on your ass."

"Please, you're more scared of him than I am." At this moment, Tahni wasn't sure what was more annoying to her; the fact that he was right, or the fact that he was talking to her as if this were the most normal conversation in the world. She didn't have much time to ponder it as her musings had already made her miss most of where they were and she suddenly found herself dumped on something soft. Closer inspection revealed a large bed, made up with crisp, white sheets. Her eyes widened, she looked at Randy, who was stood beside the bed with his arms folded, then opened her mouth and let out an ear-splitting scream.

Randy quickly dived on the bed and clapped a hand over her mouth, silencing the scream. He glared at her. "We're in _your_ room, you idiot." Tahni's eyes darted around and she saw that he was, in fact, telling the truth, but it still didn't take away from the fact that Randy had carried her unwillingly into a bedroom. Slowly, he lowered his hand from her mouth and they just looked at one another. Tahni drew in a slow, deep breath and then let out an even louder scream. Randy closed his hand over her mouth for the second time, shaking his head, "Would you quit doing that?! Ew!" He pulled his hand back sharply. She'd done exactly as she'd done to Glen and licked his palm. He wiped it frantically on his pant leg and scowled at her. "What the hell is your problem?!"

"My problem!? MY PROBLEM?! You....You....You!" Tahni seemed that angry that she actually couldn't form coherent words. So she let out a scream of frustration this time, nowhere near as loud as her previous ones and banged her fists on the bed either side of her, kicking her legs. Randy just stared at her in utter bemusement until she had finished. She was breathing hard, her haphazard hair falling onto her eyes, which were glittering with annoyance. "Finished?"

Randy's question cued another tantrum and she was suddenly slapping him all over. He tried to grab her wrists, but she was moving too quickly and he just ended up flailing his arms in her general direction. She shoved him back on the bed and straddled his waist, effectively pinning him down so that she could hit him even more. He wriggled, trying to get free, but she just continued slapping him. He stilled underneath her, but she was too preoccupied to sense the impending danger and without even knowing what was happening, her view of the world suddenly tilted until she found herself being pressed down into the soft mattress, glaring up at Randy, with her hands pinned on either side of her head. She was shocked, but really she shouldn't have been. She was tiny compared to Randy and even in a blind rage there was no way she could even hope to overpower him. "Let me go!" She tried kicking her legs, dangerously close to Randy's crotch and he jerked back a little, then growled and pinned her legs between his so that she couldn't move them anymore. "Are you going to stop hitting me?"

"No. I'm going to kill you! Let me go!"

"I don't think I'm ready to die yet."

"Tough! Let me go, you asshole!"

"What is it with you and my ass?" Randy cocked his head with a curious expression and Tahni just stared at him for a moment, "What the hell kind of question is that?!"

"I'm curious. Are you just really attracted to my ass or what?"

"What?! Are you...? You..!....EW!" Tahni started struggling again, but it took almost no effort for Randy to keep her restrained. "Would you stop wriggling?"

"No!"

"I would, if I were you."

"Yeah? Well you're an ass!"

"Seriously, Tahni, stop." There was an edge to Randy's tone that Tahni just couldn't figure out, but it didn't stop her from wriggling even more to try and get free. "Damnit, Tahni! Would you stop moving!? You're driving me insane here!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Tahni pulled at his hold on her wrist, wriggling her hips and legs to try and get them free. She heard Randy growl above her, but it wasn't the kind she was used to. "This!" Without a moment further warning, his mouth was on hers, kissing her fiercely, his body pressed securely against hers so that she could feel _exactly_ why her movement had been driving him mad. That wasn't the main thing that was worrying Tahni, though. No, her main concern came from the fact that she was kissing him back, no longer fighting his hold on her wrists as his mouth attacked hers. She could taste the bitter hint of alcohol on his tongue and was sure he could taste the same on hers. So they were both a little drunk and neither had the willpower to stop.

When Randy's mouth finally broke from hers, Tahni took a gasp of air, only to let it out on a hiss as his lips found her neck, kissing the sensitive flesh at the hollow of her jaw and lightly scraping his teeth over her skin. She would almost swear she was seeing stars by the time his mouth found her exposed shoulder and collarbone, paying close attention to her gasps and sighs as he tasted her flesh. Tahni was pulling against his hold on her wrists again and to her surprise he released them, but what shocked her even more was that she wasn't pushing him off. Her common sense screamed at her and demanded that she behave herself, but defiantly, her clever little fingers had somehow released all of the buttons on his shirt so that it hung open. She heard him catch his breath sharply and felt his muscles tense under her hands as she began to delicately explore the newly exposed area of his chest.

Everything else was a bit of a passionate blur, fading into the dreamy memory of skin touching skin and lips touching lips. It all held a kind of unreal quality and Tahni would never be sure where reality had met dream. The only thing she was really aware of was the sudden burst of sunlight that was hitting her face. She winced and slowly opened her eyes, feeling the drumbeat inside of her head increase as she did so. She groaned irritably and then went very still. She lifted the sheet and peered under it. She was utterly naked as the day she was born, but more worrying was the tanned, heavily tattooed arm that was draped across her, a large hand splayed over her stomach.

She gasped as the memory of the previous night suddenly invaded her bruised mind. Oh no. No, no no, no. Hell no! She sat abruptly upright, turning to stare at her sleeping companion, whilst wrapping the sheet around herself and then let out a very loud scream. Randy darted awake at the noise, for a moment confused and then he just stared at Tahni. He almost exactly repeated what she had done and slowly lifted his half of the sheet, then let out a bellow of shock and disbelief, trying to dart out of the bed and wrap the sheet around himself, but Tahni wasn't letting it go and he ended up standing beside the bed, naked as a jaybird, looking completely stunned. Tahni stared at him, then forced her eyes up to his face. "What the hell, Orton?!"

"What did you do to me?!"

"What did I do to you?! What did _you _do to _me_?!"

"I didn't touch you!"

"I beg to differ! There was definitely some...touching going on! Oh, ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! That's disgusting!"

"I am not disgusting!"

"No...I mean...Yes...I mean...EW!"

"Hey! If you hadn't started in the club, none of this would ever have happened!"

"Orton!"

"What?!"

"Put some fucking pants on!" Only then did Randy seem to realise his state of undress and he quickly grabbed his pants, pulling them on. In the process he gave Tahni a pretty good view of his ass. _Well, whaddaya know? Orton has a nice ass._ She quickly abolished this thought as he straightened up, no longer nude. "Okay, we absolutely cannot tell anyone about this."

"Oh yeah, 'cause I'm gonna go around telling everyone I slept with the biggest assclown on the roster!"

"What the hell is your problem?!"

"You took advantage of me!"

"What?!"

"You heard me!"

"Oh that's it! I am going to wring your scrawny little neck!" Randy suddenly dived on the bed and Tahni screamed, diving out the other side and running into the bathroom, but not before Randy had gotten an interesting view. She slammed and locked the door behind her, grabbing the bathrobe from the back of it and wrapping it around herself. She sidled over to the mirror and the stared in horror at her reflection, before turning and stalking back out of the bathroom, grabbing a vase form the dresser and throwing it at Randy. Lucky for him, she was a terrible shot and it hit the wall next to him instead. "What the hell was that for?!" Randy roared, flinching out of the way.

By way of explanation, Tahni grabbed the edges of the robe and pulled them apart enough to reveal her collarbone and upper chest, right to the tops of her breasts. Clearly evident on her pale, milky skin were two, large lovebites. Randy stared at them. "Oh...um..."

"I hate you! I hate you! Get out of my room!"

"Tahni, we need to talk about this. I mean, do you remember if we used protection?" His only response was another enraged scream from Tahni and a dull kind of pain as the second vase hit his shoulder and bounced off, rolling unbroken across the floor. "Alright! Alright! I'm going!" He quickly grabbed his shirt and dragged it on, whilst he was half running out of the door.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hello again everyone :D So, for the record; yes, I am totally screwing with any idea of a real life timeline to suit my needs. Artistic license. Don't like it? Suck it! **

**So, this was a fun chapter, though admittedly a little short. It was going to be longer, but I couldn't resist the urge to leave it where it ends. You'll see why when you read it! :D**

**Thank you to; _Souless666, Christina89, JenniferRayne, GreyLionDiva _and of course, the lovely _KyahBell. _I adore you all, you are my muses! Enjoy!

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"You did WHAT?!"

"Would you keep it down?! Half the roster's gonna hear you!" Tahni glared at Glen, who was just staring at her, mouth open in shock. Yes, she'd just told him about the 'incident' with Randy, despite swearing that they weren't going to tell anyone. Glen didn't count, of course. She _had _to tell him. He was Glen.

"Tahni, are you insane?! You slept with Randy Orton!"

"Again with the yelling! Shut UP!" Tahni threw one of the cushions from his couch at him. They were currently sat in his locker room, with fifteen minutes before the show started. The cushion bounced of Glen's chest and he didn't even react to the dull impact. Tahni rolled her eyes in exasperation as he continued to stare at her, "Look, I was drunk...I didn't know what I was doing."

"So he took advantage of you?" Glen's expression suddenly turned murderous, but Tahni barely noticed. She simply shrugged, then jumped up in alarm as he suddenly turned and stalked out of the room. She quickly ran after him, "Where you going?!"

"I'm going to kill him!"

"Hey! That's my line!" Tahni's weak attempt at humour did nothing to still Glen and she raced after him. "Glen, come on! You can't kill him! Vince'll fire you!"

"Orton!"

"Oh no." Tahni smacked her palm against her forehead. Trust Glen to find exactly who he was looking for. She peeked through her fingers to see a bemused Randy looking over his shoulder at Glen, straightening up from adjusting his knee brace. His eyes flicked to Tahni, then back to Glen and there was a moment of perfect silence. None of them moved. Without warning, Randy suddenly turned and ran down the hall and Glen immediately gave chase. "Glen! No! Bad giant! Glenny! Don't kill him!"

Tahni found herself alone in the corridor, staring after the two men. She swore inventively and then took off after them. It wasn't hard to find them as they'd left a trail of devastation in their wake. It seemed Randy had been throwing crates, chairs, tables, anything he get his hands on, into the path of the oncoming monster and Glen had clearly made short work of them all. Tahni danced through the debris, rounding a corner and stopping dead, eyes wide at the sight which met her. Glen had Randy in a headlock that was tight enough to turn the younger man's face rather red. Randy tried to pull Glen's arm away, but he was nowhere near strong enough. Tahni sighed and cleared her throat. "Glen Jacobs! Put that down this instant!...You don't know where it's been."

"I know _exactly _where it's been." Glen growled at her and she cringed a little. Yeah, kinda walked into that one.

"Alright. Let's try that again. He didn't take advantage of me, I was almost sober! Now put him down!" Glen instantly released Randy and stared at Tahni. "You slept with him...willingly?"

"Yes...no...sort of. Gah! It doesn't matter. Point is; no killing him."

"Why?"

"Because he has a match in five minutes and I think someone would notice. Don't you?" She tilted her head, resting her hands on her hips and Glen glared at her. Any normal person would have been frightened by that, but not Tahni. She simply pointed back down the corridor and watched at the big man looked at Randy threateningly, "I'm watching you, Orton." He then stalked away in the direction Tahni had pointed.

"What the hell, Cauldwell?!" Randy rubbed his neck, swearing he could still feel Glen's arm there. Tahni looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up. You're fine. Now come on. We have somewhere to be." Randy glared at her resentfully, clearly wanting to say something, but one of the techies arrived and told them to make their way to the curtain.

* * *

_Would you look at that! That's disgusting! Tahni being used as a weapon to beat Orton with!_

_The poor girl looks terrified!_

_Orton restrained by DiBiase as Rhodes hits Tahni with a jarring DDT!_

_Fresh out of the draft, which sent these two sadistic animals over here and already they're tormenting their former leader!_

_It's not just Orton that's being tormented here! Look at the sick smile on Rhodes' face as he drags Tahni to her feet by her hair. This is too much!_

_I've gotta agree with you. This has to be stopped._

_Whoa! Orton! RKO on DiBiase!_

_Where the hell did Orton come from?!_

_Rhodes looking worried now._

_And so he should because here comes Orton! Straight boot to the gut of Rhodes, sending him to the mat and now we see the Viper in full rage. He is really laying into Rhodes!_

_Tahni now, grabbing Orton by the arm, pulling him back._

_Whoa! _

_That was a very near miss and you gotta think that Orton didn't know who he was hittin' out at right then._

_Looks like he's apologising._

_And so he should. If she hadn't move out of the way so fast, he'd had RKO'd her right there!_

Randy pulled Tahni roughly into his arms. He had genuinely not meant to almost plant her then. He'd figured it was Ted getting a little carried away with the script. Tahni's nails dug painfully into his back, making him wince, "Hey, ease up."

"You almost decked me!" Tahni hissed in his ear, burying her face into the crook of his neck so that the cameras wouldn't pick up on her furious expression.

"It was an accident!" Randy turned his own face into her hair, growling angrily as her nails bit deeper into his skin. He then pulled out of the hug, tucked her into his side and half dragged her out of the ring, somehow managing to make it look like he was simply supporting her. Tahni smiled, speaking to him through gritted teeth, loud enough that he could hear, but low enough so that no-one else could, "Accident, my ass."

When they got through the curtain, Tahni jammed her elbow into his ribs and shoved, pushing him away from her. He gasped as it drove the air out of him and moved a hand to cover his ribs, "I said I was sorry!"

"Fuck you!"

"Been there, done that." Randy was shocked by his own words, but that was nothing to the expression on Tahni's face. Her mouth had popped open and she was just staring at him, her impossibly big eyes, even wider than usual. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides and she stamped her foot once, "I should have let Glen kill you!"

"At least then I wouldn't have to hear your annoying voice all the time!"

"_My_ voice is annoying?! At least I don't sound like I've constantly got a cheeto stuck in my throat!"

"What?! I don't sound like that!"

"Yes, you do! Watch your playbacks sometime!"

"God, I hate you!"

"You weren't saying that the other night!" Tahni immediately clapped her hands over her mouth, as if to scoop the words out of the air and back into her brain before they could erupt. Now it was Randy's turn to stare in shock.

"Orton!" They both turned to see where the voice had come from. Tahni almost fainted from fear and shock. Randy looked close to the same as Mark approached them. The Phenom paused in front of Tahni and looked at her silently for a moment, before nodding slowly. "Glen is looking for you. Best run along." Tahni opened and closed her mouth, but all that came out was a series of squeaks. Mark's eyes narrowed a little when he was immediately obeyed and Tahni let out a little noise of alarm, before darting off down the hall, leaving Randy alone with the Deadman.

He looked at Mark with wide, fearful eyes, "Uh...how can I help you?" Mark just stared at him, saying nothing. The seconds ticked by with Randy getting more and more creeped out as they passed. He shifted uncomfortably, wishing Mark would just say something instead of standing there staring at him like he was a prize steak. When he had reached the point that he was about to start begging, Mark spoke; "Glen's not very happy with you."

Randy was even more worried now. He knew how close Mark and Glen were. He gulped as Mark suddenly leaned close, too close. Their foreheads were a hair's breadth away from touching. Mark's eyes bored into Randy's and locked them there. Slowly, a sinister smile appeared on the larger man's face. "Run."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry this has taken a while. I have no excuse, just been lazy. So, we're nearing the 100 reviews mark and I can't tell you how grateful I am for that, though of course I expect it too take a few more chapters to get there. However, just wanted to announce it now; the 100th reviewer, will get a one-shot (if they want one) using whatever characters (Superstars/Divas/OCs) they choose. This is not to mean I don't appreciate my other reviewers just as much, I just thought it'd be a cool idea.**

**Thank you to:_ Souless666, Christina89, KyahBell, JenniferRayne, Tenshi no Koneko_ and last but not least, _GreyLionDiva _**

**On with the show!

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Glen headed down to the lobby with a harassed look on his face after Tahni had spent an hour whining at him that the TV in her room didn't work, only to then say that she didn't want to complain and bother anyone. He headed towards the reception desk, but stopped in his tracks, stunned by what he saw. Mark had just walked through the doors with Randy, as Glen watched the two men shook hands and Randy headed towards the elevator. Mark spotted Glen and walked over, only to receive a glare from the other man. "I told you to put the fear of God in him, not become his best friend."

Mark looked at him steadily for a long time, a look which would have unnerved anyone else, but had little effect on Glen. He then shook his head, "Shut up, Glen." Without another work he turned and wandered off, leaving Glen gaping in his wake. What the hell just happened?! He smacked his forehead with his palm and then went about what he was supposed to be doing, muttering under his breath to himself about the world going crazy.

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"Glen there is no way you got the TV fixed that fast." Tahni rolled off her bed, letting the movement bring her lightly onto her feet and padded across the room to the door. She pulled it open and spluttered uselessly for a moment, managing only to release a series of squeaks.

"Can I come in?"

Silently she stepped out of the way, watching with wide eyes as Mark entered her room. He looked around without any real interest before turning to look at her again. She was still stood beside the door, looking like a rabbit caught in headlights, "Are you going to close the door?"

Still without uttering a single word, Tahni shoved the door until it closed with a little more force than she had intended. She didn't take her eyes off Mark for even a split second. He didn't seem bothered by her intent gaze. He looked around again, then sat down slowly in the armchair beside her bed. He waited for a moment, but she still hadn't moved so he sighed and motioned to the bed. "Sit." Tahni seemed torn for a moment between running for her life and doing as she was told. She chose the latter and skittered over to the bed, plopping herself down on the far side of it, so that she was out of swinging distance of Mark.

He proceeded to spend the next thirty minutes lecturing her in a quiet, mellow tone, which frightened her more than if he'd shouted and thrown things. Not that he had any reason to do that, she just seemed to expect abrupt violence when he was around. By the time he had finished talking, Tahni was feeling guilty, but she wasn't entirely sure why. Mark fixed her with something that was a mixture between a glare and a stern expression, "Do we understand each other?" Tahni nodded frantically in response and watched as he stood up and left the room without saying another word to her.

She sat in stunned silence for quite a while, in fact, she didn't move until Glen knocked on her door and then walked inside. She looked at him, then grabbed the clock from the table beside the bed and threw it at him. He let out a bellow of surprise and dodged out of the way, "Tahni! What the hell?!"

"You told Mark! You told Mark and then he told me off!"

"He told you off?"

"He told me off!"

"What for?"

"For telling you!"

"Huh?"

"Confused?"

"Yeah."

"Me too! You jerk! Why did you tell him?!"

"Mark's one of my closest friends, I needed his help with something..."

"Something to do with my sex life?!"

"Possibly."

"I hate you."

"I love you too."

"Did you at least get my TV fixed?"

"Um...about that...."

"AAAARRGHHH!!" Tahni stood up and started throwing everything within arm's reach at him, screaming furiously and wordlessly. Glen hid a chuckle and quickly ran out of the room. Tahni followed quickly, brandishing a coffee pot and screaming profanities and threats.

"Now, Tahni...violence never solved anything." Glen said in what he hoped was a soothing voice as he tried to hide behind one of the large pillars in the lobby.

"Oh, it does this time. I kill you, you can't annoy me anymore, problem solved. Now hold still and take it like a man!"

"Hell no! I am not getting murdered with a coffee pot!"

"It's this or the bunch of carnations you bought me!"

"Death by flowers... it has a certain appeal..."

"Glen Jacobs get your ass here now!" Tahni dived for the pillar, but he jumped out from behind it before she could reach him. Tahni threw the coffee pot at him, but he ducked and it ended up smashing on the ground. Glen cackled and ran away. Tahni looked at the anxious faced bell boy stood close by, watching the strange occurrence. "I'll pay for that. GLEN!" She ran after her friend, skidding to a stop when she reached a corridor and he was nowhere in sight. "Ooh, you are so dead when I get my hands on you!" She headed for the elevators, deciding she would wait in his room until he came back. He had to come back some time and she'd be waiting. He probably had more things to throw in his room.

As she stepped into the elevator she imagined beating Glen to death with one of his own gigantic boots. She was so lost in her imagination that she didn't register at first that she was not alone in the car. When she did, she felt a swoop of irritation in the pit of her stomach. Randy Orton was looking at her, utterly bemused. "What the hell, Cauldwell?"

"Why do you always say that to me? I didn't even give you a reason to this time."

"Um...have you seen yourself?"

"Ah, shit." It was only then that Tahni remembered she had been ready for bed. She looked down at herself, confirming her fears as she took in the faded, white velour shorts and tank top that had 'artistically' placed slashes across the midriff, exposing far more skin that she normally would have. Her feet were bare and her hair was a rumpled mess. She found herself rather glad that she had waxed her legs only the day before, so she wasn't stuck in an elevator with Randy Orton and unsightly body hair. She'd never live that one down. "Yeah...should have thought about that."

"You always run around hotels in next to nothing?"

"No! I was trying to kill Glen!"

"What? Why? I thought you guys were all buddy buddy."

"We are, but he-..." She stopped abruptly, her mind backpedalling swiftly and taking a different turn. "He stole something from me."

"What?"

"My...bunny slippers."

"Glen Jacobs stole your bunny slippers?"

"Yes...he may look like a macho man, but really he's just a big, closeted bunny lover."

"Really?"

"Truly."

"Dude."

"I know."

"Hey, Cauldwell?"

"What?"

"You haven't insulted me yet."

"Oh...sorry. You're a jerk."

"Not an assclown?"

"It got boring."

"Ah...are you gonna make fun of my 'non-existent ass'?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I plead the fifth."

"Oh come on! No fair!" Luckily for Tahni, the elevator stopped at her floor and she hopped out, smirking. "Later, assclown!"

"I thought you said it got boring!"

"I changed my mind!" She laughed and then ran off to Glen's room to lie in wait for him to return.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: How good am I to you guys? Second update within 24hrs. Take this as my apology for taking so long to update before now. Plus, my muse struck and I had lots of fun writing this chapter. Got some shockers coming up after this one that I think you guys will enjoy (and more Mark cameos, of course). Though, I had to serious it up a bit for this chapter, but have tried to keep it light at the same time. Hope you enjoy!**

**Thanks to; Christina89, GreyLionDiva, Tenshi no Koneko and Souless666 for reviewing the last chapter and remember, whoever posts my 100th review will get a one-shot :D**

**So, on with the show!

* * *

**

"Say it!"

"Never!"

"Say it!"

"No!"

"Saaaaaay iiiiiiiit!"

"Nooooo!"

"Damnit, Glen! Say it!"

"No! You'll never take me alive!"

"It's this or death by coffee pot!"

"You broke the coffee pot!"

"Say it!"

"No!"

"Okay, that's it!" Tahni clambered off Glen, who she had somehow knocked to the floor and grabbed the bunch of carnations that were sitting on her bedside table. Glen had just about gotten to his feet when she launched herself at him again and began beating him with the colourful flowers. It took only a few minutes for them to be almost completely destroyed, the floor covered in leaves and petals and she was simply holding a bunch of broken stalks in her hand. She stopped and looked at the mess in her hand with a disappointed expression, "That didn't go nearly as well as I'd hoped."

Glen took the opportunity to quickly dart out of the room. He'd returned to his hotel room to find her waiting for him the previous night and had promptly run away. He'd come to check up on her after the show the next evening, figuring she'd have calmed down, but he'd been wrong. Her room was now a total mess, mostly because she'd thrown her open suitcase at him, which resulted in all of her clothes spraying around the space.

When a knock sounded on the door, Tahni prepared herself to launch a new attack, grabbing the vase that had previously been home to the decimated flowers and holding it ready. She then put on her best sweet voice, "Come iiiiin."

As soon as the door opened, she threw the vase, almost giving Chris a heart attack as he dived out of the way, landing on the floor nearby. Tahni squeaked in alarm and ran over to him, helping him up, "I'm so sorry, Chris! I thought you were Glen!" Chris stared at her like she'd gone insane and shook his head, "You almost killed me!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to."

"I think I just lost ten years off my life."

"Really? It was only a small vase."

"I'm slightly unaccustomed to walking in a room and almost be brained by flying objects."

"I'd have thought you'd be used to it."

"Why?"

"You're married." Tahni shrugged simply and Chris rolled his eyes and then seemed to remember what he was doing here in the first place, "A bunch of us are going out to get something to eat. You wanna come?" Tahni looked thoughtful for a moment. She no longer had Glen to abuse so she'd be pretty bored otherwise. She smiled and nodded, "Sure. Let me get changed and I'll meet you in the lobby."

Chris nodded and headed for the door, but paused and looked back at her, "Don't bring any projectiles...they frown on that in restaurants." Tahni chucked a pillow at him, shaking her head. She then searched through her scattered clothes until she found a pretty, periwinkle blue smock and a pair of skinny jeans. She shoved her feet into her boots, checked her hair without any real reason, it did whatever it wanted anyway and then shoved her phone into her pocket along with her room key before bounding out of the door.

"I'm here...oh, perfect." The happy tone she had started off with, trailed away into sarcasm as she saw Chris stood with, not only Ted, Cody and Mickie, but also Randy. She felt some satisfaction in seeing that he looked about as enthusiastic as she did. She skipped over to Chris and hooked her arm through his. "Where are we going?"

"There's a Cracker Barrel down the road."

"Ooh, awesome! Hey, look, there's Matt Hardy! Hey, Matt!" She waved to the dark-haired superstar who looked as if he had been on his way out. He turned and smiled politely. He'd only spoken to Tahni once or twice before and had always found her quite bizarre, if highly entertaining. He ambled over, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"We're going over to Cracker Barrel, wanna come?" Chris offered, tilting his head like a curious puppy. Tahni mimicked his movement almost perfectly, which had the equal effect of being creepy and kind of cute. Matt eyed them carefully, then nodded, "Sure." Tahni clapped her approval and the group of unlikely companions all set off, making a suitable amount of noise.

* * *

"Ow! Okay, who kicked me?" Randy scowled at them all accusatorily, narrowing his eyes a little.

"Not me."

"Hey, don't look at me, I didn't do it!"

"Wasn't me."

"Me either."

"Nope." Everyone turned their eyes to Tahni who was looking around, whistling innocently. She noticed their eyes on her and flashed them a dazzling smile, "Yes?"

"Tahni, did you kick Randy?"

"No, Chris, I did not."

"So it must have been a ghost then?"

"Must've."

"Are you lying, Tahni?"

"Lil bit." Tahni smirked at Chris, then flicked her eyes to Randy, "Sorry Randy. My foot slipped."

"Uh-huh, sure it did." Tahni stuck her tongue out at him, then squealed in pain and almost jumped right out of the booth. "Ow! Chris! He kicked me!"

"Sorry...foot slipped." Randy smirked darkly at her. The others had decided to simply ignore them and carry on with their conversation until the waitress came over with their drinks. Randy flirted shamelessly with her, whilst Tahni glared at him. She grabbed some of the bread from the basket in the middle of the table and bit into it a little too aggressively, then without warning launched it at Randy's head. "Hey! What the hell did you do that for!?"

"I thought you could use it to mop up the drool."

"What?"

"You were practically salivating over that waitress."

"Jealous?"

"Oh, yeah, 'cause I want to be the sole focus of your sexist, pathetic attention."

"Don't fear your love for me, Tahni. It's only natural." Randy smirked and Tahni gaped at him, unable to believe he'd used her own line against her. The others had quieted now, more interested in what was going on between the other two, than their conversation about work. Abruptly, Tahni stood up and stalked out of the building, leaving Randy to endure the accusing glares of the others. He sighed in a martyred way and slowly got to his feet.

"Imp! Hey! Wait up!"

"Go to hell."

"That's not very nice."

"It wasn't supposed to be."

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you; this doesn't work if you come with me."

"Why are you running?"

"I'm not running, I'm flouncing."

"Oh...that's so much better. Would you stop for a second?" Randy was surprised when Tahni, who was halfway across the parking lot, suddenly did ask he asked and stopped in her tracks, spinning to face him. "What could you possibly have to say that I would want to listen to?"

"How about an apology?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you apologising?" That caught Randy off guard and he floundered, not wanting to admit that he actually had no idea. "Well...I...because..."

"See! You don't even know why you're here!"

"What is your problem?!"

"You really don't know?!"

"No! I'm clueless here!"

"Well, that should be a familiar feeling for you!"

"Hey, I came out here to make sure you were alright!"

"Well, I'm not alright!"

"Why not?!"

"Because I'm jealous, you idiot!"

"Wha...?" Randy couldn't even complete the word, he was utterly dumbfounded and it showed in his face, which had gone slack as he stared at Tahni. The latter shook her head furiously, glaring at him and for the first time he could see the glint of unshed tears in her eyes. "You think I like seeing you dribbling over some waitress?! You think I'm that shallow that I could sleep with you and feel nothing?! God, are you completely blind?! You stupid, stupid man!"

"Well, I...just...huh..." For some reason, Randy's brain had it neutral and he couldn't seem to form coherent sentences, although in the back of his mind he knew there was something important that he should be saying and doing right now. Tahni continued to glare at him and then turned and stalked away, leaving him stood there with his mouth open in shock. He didn't move until he felt a hand come down on his shoulder, "Well, as far as total, monumental and by that I mean _epic,_ missed opportunities go...that was the best I've seen." He turned to see Chris shaking his head at him as if he were a teacher, disappointed in one of their students.

He felt a bump on his other shoulder at Matt Hardy stalked past him, running across the dark lot in pursuit of the pixie-like woman. "Tahni!" Randy watched and for some reason felt intensely guilty, then a sense of dread started to settle over him, "Oh man, Glen's gonna kill me."

"It was nice knowing ya, Orton."

"Uh...guys...I think Cody's gonna hurl." All their attention, minus Matt who had disappeared, suddenly turned to Ted, who was supported Cody, whose face had turned an interesting shade of green. Randy rolled his eyes. "Well, this just keeps getting better."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: A HUGE loads of thanks to; GreyLionDiva, Tenshi no Koneko, Kyahbell, Christina89, Souless666 and my newest reviewer (welcome!) -lifestyle-practise- for reviewing the last chapter! You guys rocks!**

**Remember, whoever posts my 100th review on this story, will get a one-shot!**

**So, on with the show!**

* * *

"How's he doing?"

"Well...it's hard to tell."

"Is he alive?"

"Yeah, and apparently chicken salad doesn't taste as good the second time."

"Okay, ew. Ted, keep that to yourself in future." Randy wrinkled his nose in disgust and then hung up the phone. He was sat in the lobby of the hotel. Part of him wanted to just go up to his room and fall asleep, but the rest of him was determined to wait until Tahni came back. He'd gone straight to her room, but she hadn't been there. He'd then gone in search of Matt, but apparently he hadn't come back yet either.

He drummed his fingers on his legs, looking around at nothing in particular. A few minutes later he saw Matt come through the door and then stand back to hold it open for Tahni. Matt was minus his sweater, which was now on Tahni and it drowned her. Randy observed that she looked kind of cute, the sweater hung down to her thighs and she had the sleeves rolled back a few times, making her hands look tiny as they poked out of the end. Randy watched silently, feeling an unfamiliar dart of animosity as he saw Matt put his arm over Tahni's shoulders and draw her into his side almost protectively. In response, Tahni simply smiled up at him.

Matt's presence was inconvenient, but it seemed unavoidable. Randy shook his head and slowly rose to his feet. He shoved his hands into his pockets and approached them cautiously. When he came into their view, he instantly saw Matt's face harden angrily, but Tahni just looked at him with something close to indifference, which made him feel far more uncomfortable than the death glare Hardy was sending his way. He coughed awkwardly, "Um, Cauldwell...can we talk"?

"I've got nothing to say to you."

"Okay, then can I talk?"

"Shoot."

"In private."

"Actually, I'm kinda busy."

"This will only take a minute."

"She said she's busy, Orton." Matt growled at him and he opened his mouth to retort, but Tahni shook her head at him, "It's fine. I'll see you upstairs." Matt seemed unhappy about it, but he nodded and wandered off, making sure to glare at Randy as he passed. The latter didn't notice, he was looking at Tahni, who folded her arms and tilted her head with a kind of polite interest, "What do you want, Randy?"

"I just...I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being a jerk."

"You're always a jerk."

"Not on purpose."

"Oh...must just be your natural personality then."

"Tahni...you're not making this easy."

"I know."

"You could at least accept my apology."

"Okay."

"I mean- wait, what?" Randy frowned at Tahni, who smiled politely at him in that same coolly disinterested way as she had before, as if she really couldn't care less. She shrugged, pushing a few strands of short, messy hair from her face, "I said; 'okay'. You're forgiven."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"So, we can start over?"

"No."

"What? Why not?"

Tahni sighed and shook her head, looking at him with a slight frown, but she spoke in a perfectly even, reasonable tone, "There's a line that I draw and past that line, I don't get involved. That line, was about two hours ago. I'll work with you, but besides that, I'll keep out of your way."

"What if I don't want that?"

"It doesn't matter. I want it, so that's how it's gonna be."

"Well how come you get to decide and I don't?"

"Because I drew the line...and you crossed it." She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in and then nodded. "Goodnight, Randy." Without another word she walked away from him, leaving him dumbfounded and frozen to the spot. Now, nobody takes rejection very well. Some people throw tantrums, kick and scream, some withdraw into themselves and try to hide from it, some pretend it never happened and try to block it from their memory, but some –Randy being one of those- see it almost like a challenge. Tahni had moved the goalposts; she had taken herself out of the running and out of his reach. This was something that Randy could not allow. It had taken him until now to even realise he actually liked the stupid woman and he was not about to just disappear into the background.

* * *

"La la la, I'm not listening!"

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"I'm having a torrid affair with Mark."

"I knew it!"

"See? You are listening!"

"Dammit! Glen, that's cheating!" Tahni scowled at her friend as she pulled on her boots. Tonight was the first time that Tahni was actually going to be involved in a match. She was taking part in an inter-gender tag match with Randy against Ted and Mickie James. She was a little nervous, but generally in a good mood. Glen smirked and her and folded his arms, leaning on the wall. "You can't ignore him when he's your tag partner."

"I'm not ignoring him."

"You haven't argued with him in a week."

"And that means I'm ignoring him?"

"Yes."

"How'd you figure that one out?"

"Cauldwell, you argue with everyone!"

"I do not."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Whatever."

"Ha! I win!"

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do."

"Don't. I am not arguing with you anymore!" Tahni stuck her tongue out at him and stood up, shaking her legs a little so that her pants fell into place over her boots. When she was done she looked at Glen with an almost expectant expression on her face and her hands on her hips. Glen lifted his eyebrows at her, "What?" This earned him a eyeroll.

"You have to get out."

"Why?"

"Because I need to change my top and I don't want you having a heart attack."

"I think I can handle it."

"Get out!" Tahni hit him with the shoebox that had previously contained her boots and he ducked out, laughing. Glen wasn't fooled by her performance, he knew that it was taking more effort than she'd admit to ignore Randy, even if she claimed she wasn't ignoring him and in fairness, she wasn't blanking him completely. She talked to him as she would any colleague. She went over lines with him, filmed vignettes and they worked seamlessly together in the ring, but other than that, she seemed determined to pretend that he didn't exist. Now, Glen was all for this. He was perfectly happy for Randy to no longer be a part of her life, but he couldn't ignore the things that no-one else saw.

Every time Randy walked into a room, Tahni winced. She would sigh heavily when she thought no-one was paying attention and spent hours just staring vacantly into space. Staring into space was quite normal for Tahni, but not like this. Normally you could tell when she was daydreaming, she'd get a kind of happy, glazed look in her eyes, but now there was a kind of dullness to it, like she was thinking of something depressing. She played her part well and anyone who didn't spend as much time with her as Glen did would not be able to tell the difference in her behaviour.

"Okay, I'm done." Glen snapped out of his thoughts as Tahni emerged from the locker room. _His_ locker room, which she routinely kicked him out of because she didn't really get along with most of the other women. They found her odd and difficult to relate to, not because they were unpleasant people, just because Tahni didn't seem to really fit in anywhere and there wasn't much common ground between them. She got along well with Mickie and Barbie and could even be found at times chatting away in French to Maryse, but other than that she was a bit of an oddball amongst the woman.

"Alright, well since your match is up next I'm gonna go see Mark."

"Okay. Don't eat any babies."

"Why would I eat babies?"

"Cody said that Mark eats babies."

"Mark doesn't eat babies."

"Uh-huh. Sure. I believe you."

"He doesn't."

"Of course not."

"He doesn't. He prefers young, pixie-like women with short, spiky hair." Glen smirked and Tahni squeaked in alarm, made her excuses and ran off to the curtain. Randy was already there, he looked up as she approached, "Hey."

Tahni nodded in response, waiting as the trainer checked her brace on her right leg and adjusted it slightly. She didn't look at Randy until he spoke again, "Are you nervous?"

"Not really."

"That's good. Just remember to stay loose."

"I will. Thanks."

"And don't try anything too high risk. Don't wanna risk injury in your first match."

"Uh-huh." Randy got the impression that she wasn't really listening to him and scowled, "And if things go really wrong, I'll cut my leg off and let you beat Mickie to death with it."

"Okay. Thanks." Tahni rolled her pant leg down as the trainer moved away. Her ring-attire was quite close to her normal clothes, but made specifically to be more manoeuvrable. She was wearing dark blue pants that resembled jeans, but fit much more closely and moved a lot more and a rainbow coloured tank top, which was cut to expose a little of her stomach, but none of her cleavage. She'd been very specific when working with the wardrobe department that she didn't want to look like she could work a corner in her ring clothes. The fans knew her as a normal person and she wanted to _look _like a normal person.

Randy's music hit and he looked over at her, but she was still not paying attention to him. He shook his head and headed out. Tahni followed behind, painting an anxious expression onto her face. As they both climbed to the apron, Randy took hold of her arm and appeared for all intents and purposes to be uttering words of encouragement to her. Over the noise, Tahni couldn't hear what he was actually saying, so she just nodded along.

* * *

_DiBiase with the tag, which means Orton, has to step out and let Tahni get her first taster in this match._

_Now remember, Matt; Mickie James is a fierce competitor and an excellent wrestler. We've never seen any wrestling from Tahni, so you gotta think that Mickie has the advantage._

_I definitely agree with that and speaking of which, Mickie James with a hard clothesline._

_How nervous must Tahni be, coming into this with no match experience?_

_I'd say very. It's showing as well. Tahni taken down to the mat again, James is not giving her any breathing room in this. _

_But what a minute; Tahni popped right back up to her feet and threw Mickie right into the corner._

_What's she doing now?_

_I don't know. Wow! That looked like a cross between a suplex and an arm drag. _

_Whatever it was, it was very effective._

_Mickie James is reeling as she stumbles to her feet only to fall right into the hands of a german suplex and Tahni now with a front face-lock on Mickie James._

_That face-lock looks well applied and Tahni now wrapping her legs around Mickie as well in what almost looks like a grapevine. _

_It's been a long time since we've seen anyone use that kind of move out here._

_Oh, Mickie got the ropes and the hold will be broken._

_Tahni, testing the five-count there, very surprising behaviour from the young woman._

_Now dragging James to her feet by her hair, twisting her around so that they're back-to-back. Oh and a neckbreaker!_

_Seems that Tahni has been taking lessons from Orton._

_What's this?_

_Orton and Tahni just looking at one another. Tahni dragging Mickie to her feet again, eye contact unbroken between the two._

_There's some kind of silent communication going on here._

_Tahni slapping Mickie back into reality and Mickie looks furious._

_Mickie turning to try and get the tag, but Tahni dragging her back again._

_There's that look again. What is going on here?_

_Oh my god!_

_RKO! Tahni hit the RKO on Mickie James!_

_Here's the cover!_

_One...two...three!_

_Tahni wins this match!_

Mickie and Ted disappeared up the ramp, leaving Tahni and Randy to celebrate in the ring. Randy raised Tahni's hand as she grinned out at the crowd and then, without a moment's warning, his mouth suddenly descended on hers in a heart-stopping kiss. Tahni felt as is fireworks had just exploded in her head and for all that she knew she should be shoving him away and beating the crap out of him, she wasn't. She was kissing him back, her arms around his neck.

They broke apart and the world rushed back. Tahni's eyes darkened, but she kept the smile on her face for the sake of the cameras and allowed Randy to lead her backstage. She wheeled around to face him. He opened his mouth to speak, but was halted by a stinging slap across the face. Stars burst behind his eyes and by the time his vision had cleared, she was gone. He felt a dart of frustration, then caught sight of Glen, stood a few feet away, smirking at him, "Nice try." The other man chuckled in dark amusement and then jogged off to find Tahni.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hadn't intended on this one being as long as it is, but started writing and couldn't stop. I can't believe Mickie James has been released! Not a happy teddy, at all! **

**Anyway, thanks to: Christin89, Tenshi no Koneko, KyahBell, Jennifer Rayne, GreyLionDiva, RandyOrtonxRKO(so glad you noticed what Randy said, I was hoping someone would! :D) and of course Abiha who posted my 100th review. What I'm going to be doing form now on is giving a one-shot to every 50th reviewer. So, the next one will be at 150 reviews. This isn't to try and make people review, I just like the challenge of writing something for someone else.**

**So, on with the show!**

**

* * *

**

"Glenny! Glenny! Lookit!" Glen had made the huge mistake of agreeing to go with Tahni to a safari park in England. There were a few of them who had decided to go, three minivans worth of superstars were travelling around the grounds of Longleat. Glen was sharing a van with Tahni, Mickie James, Cody Runnels, Matt Hardy and Ron Killings and Tahni had succeeded in hyping them all up so they there were practically bouncing in their seats.

"Tahni! Look, look at the lion cubs!" Matt had his nose pressed against the glass of the window and Tahni leaned right over him to look, then squealed in delight. "Mickie, come look!" Mickie leaned forwards to have a look and then let out a similar squeal to Tahni. In the back Ron suddenly started singing, "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight!" This cued the rest of them to join in, "Oh-weeeeeeeeeee! Eeeee-eeee-eeee-eee um-bumb-ah-waaaaaaay!" The noise was ridiculous and Glen covered his ears with his hands. "Guys, you're gonna scare the animals!"

They ignored him and carried on singing. The driver found it highly amusing, earning him a glare from Glen. "Glenny! Look at the little cubs! Look, Glenny! Look!" Tahni slapped him on the back of the head to get his attention and he turned to look where she told him reluctantly. "Awwwwwwww, they're so cute!" This earned him a lot of strange looks from the others and a touch of pink entered his face as the others all burst out laughing. Tahni hugged him from behind and kissed his cheek, "Love you, Glenny." She said, quietly enough that the others wouldn't hear and Glen felt himself flush even further. He made a gruff noise and shrugged as she sat back.

By the time they reached the large stately house the others were practically bouncing under Tahni's influence. She seemed to have a strange effect on everyone around her. She somehow convinced Cody to give her a piggyback ride from the van to the house, though he complained the entire way.

"Yeehaw! Faster, Cody! Faster!"

"Tahni, you're such a fat ass!"

"Hey! Horses don't complain! Mush!"

"That's snow-dogs."

"Alright, then you're a snow-dog!"

"Their owners don't sit on them; they get pulled along in a cart."

"You want me to go get a cart?"

"No! No carts!"

"Then shut up and get moving!"

"Alright, I'm going. I'm going."

They were completely oblivious of the brooding glare that they were receiving from the Viper himself as he climbed out of the minivan he'd been riding in. He was frustrated. Tahni was thus far, ignoring all of his attention as if he were simply some kind of unimportant background noise and now she was getting all close and personal with Cody. It was infuriating.

"It's times like this when you really wish you had laser vision, huh?" Randy hadn't even noticed Ted until he spoke and he jumped a little, then scowled at him, "Shut up, Ted." He shook his head and stalked off.

* * *

"Tahni, come on, we're gonna go up to the roof!"

"I'll be there in a minute!" Tahni waved at Matt as he disappeared with the others and then turned and wandered off. She loved old houses, but she didn't like tour guides. It wasn't that she had anything against them as people; she just preferred to wander around by herself and soak up the atmosphere. She danced along the old wooden floors, her feet barely making any sound as she moved. She found herself in the library. All the books were kept behind wire casings to stop them from being damaged or stolen.

She wandered slowly, taking it all in, a slight smile on her face. Tahni loved books. She wasn't much of a reader, but she loved them none-the-less. There was something about the smell and texture of books that appealed to her, even if she could never really find the patience to read many of them.

She heard the door open, but didn't pay any attention, the others were having their tour, but there was a lot of staff in the house. So feeling a strong pair of arms wrap around her caused her to scream loudly. A hand clamped over her mouth, "God, don't do that! You're gonna wake the dead one of these days!" Tahni went very still, almost rigid as the hand descended from her mouth. "Get the hell off me, Orton."

"No."

"I'll scream."

"You already did."

"I'll scream again."

"And I'll put my hand back over your mouth."

"When did you turn into crazy stalker guy?"

"I didn't."

"Oh, really? So grabbing me and covering my mouth to stop me screaming doesn't seem a little crazy and stalker-ish to you?"

"Nope." Randy's voice sounded smug and far too cheerful. Tahni suddenly moved, spinning in the concrete circle of his arms to face him, "Let go of me."

"No."

"What will it take to get you to let go?"

"Admit how you feel about me."

"Okay. I feel that you're an ass and I really don't like you."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm really not."

"Then why were you jealous?

"'Were', Randy. Past tense. I'm over it."

"I'm not."

"Not my problem."

"You don't just turn feelings off."

"I do."

"No, you don't." It was only then that Tahni realised they had been moving and she now felt the cold metal of the casings that covered the books, pressing against her back. Oh now that was not good. As if it weren't bad enough that he had got her on her own, now he had her trapped. This called for desperate measures. She reached up, her hands clasping his face and drawing him down until their lips were only millimetres apart. This had the desired effect of taking Randy off guard and he loosened his arms to rest his hands on her hips.

Now, the plan had been to then shove him away and run as if Mark were chasing her, but Randy took matters into his own hands and closed the remaining tiny distance, literally just brushing his lips over hers. This tiny action had the effect of sending a trail of sparks through her and making her stomach drop out. She gasped in surprise and Randy immediately claimed her mouth with his own. She was almost certain that there was something she was supposed to be doing, possibly something that would involve throwing him headfirst through a window, but that flew very quickly from her mind.

There was something addictive about kissing Randy. He tasted of peppermint and cold air and when you would expect him to be rough and pushy, he was gentle and careful. His hands moved from her hips, his fingers lightly dancing up her body until they came to lightly frame her face as her own hands curled into the front of his shirt and pulled him closer. He treated her as if were made of the finest, most delicate china and it was impossible that someone so big could be so gentle, like a giant lightly stroking a mouse. Tahni was utterly powerless, weak at the knees and dizzy, yet at the same time she knew instinctively that if she were to push him away he wouldn't resist. He wouldn't force her.

"And here you see the vast libr- Oh my!" Tahni and Randy burst apart as if an electric charge had shot through them both and they found themselves face-to-face with the curious and shocked faces of the other superstars and their tour guide. Randy didn't seem at all fazed, whilst Tahni flushed bright red and cowered against the bookshelves, wishing she could disappear.

* * *

"Tahni! Orton? Really?"

"Tahni Orton...I kinda like that..."

"Cauldwell, focus!"

"Sorry."

"What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that he ambushed me."

"You weren't exactly pushing him away."

"He caught me off guard."

"That's no excuse. I thought you were done with him."

"I am."

"So then why were you-"

"Glenny...shh." Tahni shook her head at her friend and ran her fingers through her short hair, tugging on it slightly. It was official; the entire roster now knew that there was something going on between Tahni and Randy. The only problem with that was that there wasn't. There was absolutely nothing going on with them as far as Tahni was concerned. Randy wasn't making life any easier, walking around with the biggest shit-eating grin that Tahni had ever seen, which just made her want to punch him every time she saw him.

"You're up Miss Cauldwell."

"Tahni! My name is Tahni! Tahni! Me! Tahni! Tahni! Got that?!" The techie looked like he was going to have a heart attack and Glen couldn't help but snicker. He shook his head and nudged Tahni. "Feel better?"

Tahni glared at him and shook her head, "No. I can't believe him! He's acting as if this is a good thing!"

"Want me to kill him?"

"Tempting."

"I'll do it."

"Really?"

"No."

"Then why'd you say you would?!"

"To make you feel better."

"I hate you."

"I love you too. Come on, you've got a match."

"Don't make me go out there."

"It's for your own good."

"How?!"

"I dunno."

"You're being very unhelpful."

"I know." Tahni scowled at him as he led her down to the gorilla position. Ted was there and he grinned at her. "Hey, Cauldwell. Your boyfriend's on his way."

"Shut up, Ted."

* * *

_We have seen a very strange turn of events here tonight!_

_Some excellent teamwork from Orton and Tahni._

_Some very underhanded teamwork!_

_And there they go again!_

_Tahni distracting the ref so that Orton can get the chair shot on DiBiase!_

_And now Tahni's got that chair, where's she going?_

_Tahni smacking the chair across the back of Mickie James!_

_The two women fighting on the outside of the ring._

_The ref is distracted again by what's going on._

_Orton sending DiBiase over the top rope!_

_Tahni with a german suplex to Mickie James, landing her right on top of the fallen DiBiase._

_Orton dragging DiBiase back into the ring._

_DiBiase with a desperate clothesline!_

_And now what's this?!_

_Tahni on the apron with that chair, waving it around like a maniac!_

_The referee distracted once again, giving Orton time to recover._

_RKO! Orton got the RKO and now the cover!_

_Mickie James coming to try and break the pin, but Tahni grabbing her by her hair and throwing her out of the ring!_

_Orton wins it! _

_A victory for Orton and Tahni, but at what cost? Orton has taken that innocent young girl and turned her into as much of a snake as he is!_

_

* * *

  
_

"Hey, you alright? I didn't hurt you did I?" Tahni fussed over Mickie, who just smiled at her and shook her head, shoving her hair back out of her face, "Nah, I'm fine. Nice job out there." Tahni grinned and hugged her. Mickie broke the embrace, grinning back at her, "Listen, I gotta go see Vince real quick, but I'll meet you back at the hotel for a drink?" She didn't wait for a reply, but turned and jogged off.

Tahni watched her for a moment, then headed off to find Glen. What she hadn't realised, or at least hadn't acknowledged, was that Randy had been stood behind her, waiting to talk to her, but she totally ignored him. Randy glowered at her retreating back as Ted came to stand beside him, following his gaze. He could practically feel the smirk coming off the other man and scowled, "Shut up, Ted." He stalked away, muttering to himself. Ted was left stood by himself, eyebrows raised, "I didn't even say anything..."

* * *

Tahni was sat in the hotel bar with Glen, looking around with a frown, before looking at her watch. It was getting late and Mickie still hadn't turned up. "Glen, I'm gonna go up to Mickie's room and see what's keeping her, 'kay?" Glen nodded distractedly as Tahni hopped up and when in search of her friend. She had to knock repeatedly on Mickie's door before there was any response and when she finally opened the door, Tahni was shocked to see that there were tear stains on her face and she looked completely lost. "Mickie, what's wrong?" She hugged her tightly, frowning.

Mickie didn't say anything, but pulled away and motioned for them to go inside. Tahni looked around, still frowning as she saw Mickie's suitcase open on the bed and most of her things hastily packed inside of it. "What's going on?" Her question cued a strangled sob from the other woman which alarmed Tahni. She watched as Mickie sank down onto the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands. Quickly she rushed to her side and sat down beside her, putting an arm over her shoulders. "Micks, tell me what's going on."

It took a few minutes, but eventually Mickie calmed herself down, she took in gasping, shuddering breaths and then slowly lowered her hands, staring at them as if they were completely foreign to her. "I've...I've been released."

"What?!" Disbelief coloured Tahni's expression and for the first time she could remember in her life, she was completely speechless. She couldn't get her head around it. Mickie was exceptionally hard-working. One of the few divas who could actually combine brains and beauty with the ability to wrestle well. It wasn't even possible that she had been released. Mickie continued to hiccup and sob quietly at her side, whilst she just stared ahead of her, feeling as if some illusion had just shattered in front of her. This gorgeous world she loved so much...was brutal. It built you up and then it ripped you down. The WWE was not at all how it appeared on TV.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I am so so so so so so so so sorry, this has taken so long. Work has been insane! Thanks to; _Souless666, Abiha, JenniferRayne, Christina89, Tenshi no Koneko, MesshaBlack and Caleb's Babe _for reviewing the last chapter. I love you guys to death and I shall try and update more often!**

**So, on with the show!**

**

* * *

**

"Tahni...Tahni? Taaaaaaahni? HEY!"

"Huh?"

"Where's your head?"

"On my neck."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Unless I've been decapitated without my knowing about it in the last five minutes...yes, I'm sure."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Work."

"Shop, work? Or wrestling, work?"

"Both."

"You're not happy being back here, are you?" The question caused Tahni to sigh and shake her head. Her mood had been down ever since she'd returned to Jacksonville, which was really unlike her. When her short-term contract had ended, she'd been asked to sign a two year deal, but had declined. After Mickie had been released, she had suddenly found herself feeling homesick and missing the simple times when wrestling was just a show she enjoyed on a superficial level. She kept in touch with Glen and Mickie and even Ted, but that just made it harder. She'd been back in Jacksonville for a month and her return had certainly upped business in the small shop, but she just couldn't find the enthusiasm for it anymore. She missed being on the road. She missed annoying Glen and on some baser level, she even missed her arguments with Randy.

"Of course I'm happy, Mikey. See, happy grin." She smiled widely at him, but it was so false it made her friend cringe. Without warning he suddenly grabbed her cell and began flicking through it. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, so she didn't say anything about it. It was only when he began talking that her alarm rate went up.

"Hi, I'm calling on behalf of Tahni Cauldwell in regards to the contract offer. She's wondering if it's still open."

"Mikey, what are you doing?" Tahni hissed at him, but he just sharply pressed a finger to her lips, ignoring her. He listened to the person on the other end of the phone and then nodded to himself. "Perfect. She'll be there. Thank you." He hung up the phone and threw it on her bed and then folded his arms. "Tahni, I love you and God knows, I love having you home, but you're so depressing to be around, it's ruining my reputation."

"Mikey, you don't _have_ a reputation."

"I could have and you'd be ruining it. You're going back."

"I don't want to go back."

"Liar."

"I don't!"

"Oh really? Where are SmackDown filming this week?"

"Charlotte, North Carolina."

"Uh-huh, you don't want to go back, you just follow their schedule like a bible, right?"

"I hate you."

"I know. Now pack your things. Your flight leaves in two hours." Mikey lifted an eyebrow at her and Tahni saw the sacrifice in his face, underneath the stubborn expression. When Tahni was gone, Mikey didn't really have anyone else and she knew that it was a wrench for him to make her leave again. She stood up and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Michael."

* * *

"Things on SmackDown are going to change! I will not sit back and let Beth Phoenix act like she deserves that title! _My _title! I'm going to get that belt back and there is no-one who is going to stand in my way! I-"

Michelle McCool's enraged speech was cut off by a remixed version of Pink's , Don't Let Me Get Me. None of the crowd new the entrance and a huge, building trembling cheer flew through them as Tahni appeared at the top of the ramp. She was dressed in all new gear, very different to the last time she'd appeared. She was now dressed in a rainbow coloured fitted tank-top with three slashes across the midriff, her normally black hair was still in its pixie crop, but it was now dyed electric blue. Her legs were encased in a pair of dark blue, leather pants and she wore custom wrestling boots on her feet. She stood at the top of the ramp and slapped both of her hands against her stomach, then threw them into the air, dancing on one foot around in a circle.

She bounced down to the ring, slapping hands along the way, before sliding under the top rope and slowly pulling herself to her feet. She ran to one corner and jumped to the second turnbuckle, throwing her hands into the air. She jumped down and then faced Michelle, a cocky smirk on her face as she walked towards her. Without warning, she snatched the mic from Michelle's hand and spun on one foot to face the crowd.

"If you're sick of hearing McCool's whiney, annoying voice let me hear you scream!" She held the mic out towards the crowd, her eyes on Michelle as they roared their approval. She grinned and brought the microphone back to her mouth. "The fans have spoken, McCool. You're right about one thing, though; things _are _going to change on SmackDown, because I am back and I am coming after that title! So you can come out here and bitch and whine all you like, but prissy missy, let me tell you something; you are done! You are outmatched, outclassed and outdated!"

Michelle looked furious, screaming indistinct insults, but Tahni just shook her head, holding out one hand right into her face. She smirked at her insolently. "Shut. Your. Mouth. Get the hell out of this ring before I throw you out."

Michelle screamed angrily and lunged for Tahni, who moved swiftly out of the way, grabbed handfuls of her hand and threw her face-first into the mat. She then dragged her to her feet and launched her over the top rope. She watched Michelle hit the floor and then leaned both her arms casually on the ropes, waving pleasantly as the other diva sulked away.

* * *

"Now _that_ was a comeback!"

"Glenny!" Tahni launched herself at her large friend, throwing her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the ground and spun her around. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, T."

"Really?"

"Yeah, no-one else annoys me like you do."

"You love it."

"That's debatable."

"Shh. Don't argue, Glenny. Your forehead creases when you argue."

"Huh?"

"Seriously, right here." She prodded his forehead. "Not a good look, big guy."

"You've been back five minutes and you're already picking on me?"

"No! I'm merely pointing out that when you argue, you look like a piece of tin foil that someone's scrunched up and then tried to straight out again."

"Wow...you got even more annoying whilst you were gone."

"I'm making up for lost time."

"So I've got a whole month of verbal beatings to look forward to?"

"Isn't it great?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way." The two friends grinned at each other and then without a word of warning, Tahni was suddenly charging down the corridor. Glen didn't get a chance to see who her target was and within seconds, she had tackled the poor soul to the ground. There was a very unmanly scream from the floored Ted DiBiase before he realised who it was.

"Cauldwell!"

"DiBiase!"

"You're alive!"

"Or possibly a zombie that's planning to eat your brains."

"Zombies don't plan. They just...eat."

"I'm a clever zombie."

"No such thing."

"There is now."

"You offend reason, woman!"

"Shut up, Ted."

"Ah, now that's something I haven't missed. Only you seem to inspire people's need, to tell me to shut up...mainly Randy."

Tahni lifted her eyebrows at him and then clambered off him and let him get to his feet. He dusted himself off and then hugged her in a more civilised way. "He's missed you, ya know?"

"Who?"

"The abominable snowman. Who do you think?"

"Cody?"

"No, not Cody."

"Glenny?"

"No. Well, yes, but no, not him."

"Oh! You mean The Miz! Yeah, we had a thing."

"Really?"

"No! Ew!"

"Why not?"

"He looks like a duck."

"That's not nice."

"The truth is an unpleasant thing."

"I meant Randy."

"Oh."

"You knew who I meant."

"Yeah..."

"So why'd you avoid it?"

"Because Randy's an ass."

"Well, he had to make up for not having one somehow."

There was a pause and then they both burst out laughing. Glen joined them at this point and they headed off together. Tahni would never admit it, but she returning to the road didn't feel like leaving home. It felt like _coming_ home. As dirty and underhanded as this business could be, she loved it. All she had to do now was avoid seeing Randy for the rest of her career and things would be perfect.

How hard could it be?


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Again, sorry for taking so long to update, work is still really hectic. Thank you to; Abiha, Souless666 (there's a special bit in this chapter just for you), Tenshi no Koneko, JenniferRayne, Christina89 and GreyLionDiva.**

**So, on with the show!

* * *

**

"And introducing her opponent, from Jacksonville, Florida; Tahni!"

Tahni burst out through the curtain to the top of the ramp and paused for a moment, just glaring towards the ring where Michelle McCool was waiting for her. Layla, the new women's champion was at ringside, her belt resting over her shoulder.

The match was quick. Tahni's energy fuelled the pace and from the moment the bell rang she had the upper hand. She was too quick for Michelle, but after ten minutes, when she went for the pin, Layla distracted the ref, allowing Michelle to get a cheap shot at Tahni and win the match.

Tahni rolled out of the ring, but as her feet touched the ground, a blinding pain shot up through the right calf and her leg buckled, driving her to her knees. She gasped, her hand clasping her leg. She felt the ref helping her to her feet and she tried to protest, but every time she put weight on her leg it sent a searing pain through her and in the end she had to concede that she was unable to walk alone. She hobbled out to the back and let herself be led to the trainer's room. Once inside, she lay down on the bed and complained loudly about being there.

The trainer paid absolutely no attention to her as he looked at her leg. She squealed and swatted at him as he prodded it. "That hurts!"

"Bend your leg for me."

"It hurts!"

"I know, but I need you to bend it, so I can see if there's any muscle distortion."

"Any what?" The trainer sighed and shook his head. "Just bend your leg."

Tahni scowled at him and gritted her teeth as she lifted her leg into the air and bent it.

"Let me in. Right now!" Tahni frowned towards the door; lifting her eyebrows as it burst open and Glen came charging into the small room. He looked at her and moved to the side of the bed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine. I'm just in here for the fun of it."

"What happened?"

"No idea."

"You must have some idea."

"Do I look like a doctor?"

"No, but-"

"Then, I don't know."

"I hate to interrupt, but Tahni, I need you to stand up." Tahni looked at the trainer, scowling, but sat up and carefully moved to the edge of the bed, before standing up. She instantly felt the pain in her leg and almost crashed to the floor, but Glen grabbed her before she fell. She said nothing as the trainer continued to examine her leg.

"You gonna need to go to the hospital for an x-ray."

"No."

"What?"

"No."

"Tahni, you could have a fracture."

"No."

"What do you mean; no?"

"I mean; no."

Glen shook his head, his grip on Tahni's arm tightening. "I'll take her."

"I'm not going."

"Yes, you are."

"You can't make me."

For a moment, they just glared at one another before Glen suddenly lifted Tahni clear off her feet and threw her over his shoulder. He walked out of the trainer's room, ducking for the door so he didn't brain her in the process of walking through it and off down the corridor.

"Glen, put me down! This is not funny!"

"I'd have thought you'd be used to this mode of transport by now."

"Put me down! Put me down!" She beat her fists off his back insistently and he sighed. "Alright." He then dumped her back on her feet and she let out a squeal of pain as her weight fell on her right leg and she crumpled. Glen caught her and threw her back over his shoulder.

"Hey, Cauldwell!"

"DiBiase! Hi!" Ted wandered over and began casually strolling behind Glen so as to talk to Tahni.

"What you doing up there?"

"Glen's kidnapping me."

"Why?"

"He thinks I'm a rival for his sexiness. He's threatened."

"Oh. I see. Well, personally, I don't think he has anything to worry about."

Glen suddenly stopped and spun around, causing Tahni to shout in protest. He looked at Ted, with his eyebrows raised. "We've had this discussion, Ted. I just don't see you that way."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Ted smirked and Glen rolled his eyes, turning back around. Tahni slapped him on the back of the head and then looked at Ted again, "You're a weird man, DiBiase."

"I know. Oh, I have something for you."

"Ooh, what is it?"

"It's from Cody."

"What is it?" Tahni repeated her question impatiently as Ted fished around in his pocket and pulled out a small, wrinkled white envelope. Tahni reached down and took it and examined it carefully. "An envelope?"

Ted snickered and shook his head, "I think it's what's inside that's important. Anyway, I gotta shoot. Have fun being kidnapped." He waved and ran off, leaving Tahni to look at the envelope curiously, but she decided not to open it just yet.

* * *

"So, will you live?"

"Seems so. No break, just some deep muscle bruising."

"So we can get out of here?"

"Yeah, just gotta wait for them to fit my new brace."

"Okay. You wanna go get something to eat?"

"Um...actually, there's something I need to do back at the hotel."

Glen lifted his eyebrows, but didn't question her on it. Back at the hotel, he dropped Tahni at her room and she grabbed her cell. She flicked through her numbers only to realise she didn't have the one she needed. That was annoying. She reached over and grabbed the phone from beside her bed, calling down to reception, "Hi, can I you put me through to Cody Runnels? Thank you."

She waited, reaching down to fiddle with the straps on her new, much heavier leg brace which she now had to wear at all times for the next three weeks. She was so absorbed in doing this that she didn't notice that the phone was no longer ringing.

"Hello? Helloooo? Anyone there? Hello? Hello?" Tahni snapped out of her daydream and sat up a little. "Cody!"

"Tahni?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Your screech is pretty familiar."

"I don't screech!"

"Ow! My ear!"

"Okay...maybe I do."

"How's the leg?"

"Ah, gonna have to have it amputated."

"Really? Ah well, they have those cool robotic ones now, you'd never know the difference."

"They do? Awesome!"

"Yeah, you'd be like a cyborg!"

"Cyborgs are scary! I don't wanna be a cyborg, Cody! Don't let them turn me into a cyborg!"

"Sorry, nothing I can do. I can always kill you and then it wouldn't be a problem."

"Hmm...I shall consider your proposal and let you know. Anyway, listen, we need to talk."

"We are talking."

"About the letter."

"Ah."

"Yeah. Can you come to my room?"

"Sure, give me five minutes."

Tahni hung up the phone and chewed the inside of her lip thoughtfully. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the letter Cody had written. She didn't open it, just looked at it. She didn't consider herself to be especially close to Cody, so it was something of a surprise to her.

* * *

"How the hell did this happen?"

"What, Randy?" Ted sighed exasperatedly. Randy had been yelling for twenty minutes straight and still hadn't gotten around to telling Ted what was pissing him off. He reached down and laced up his boots as he waited to see if he would be enlightened. He frowned as a beige envelope was slapped down on the bench beside him. He picked it up and reached inside, pulling out a series of photographs.

As he looked through them, his jaw almost hit the floor. "No...Are you serious? No. Are these 'shopped?" He twisted the photos, peering at them closely.

"Tell me how this happened?"

"Rohypnol?"

"Not funny, Ted."

"No, you're right. She'd never stoop that low. Maybe...candy and balloons? You know he loves candy and balloons."

"Why are you making a joke out of this?"

"Randy, come on! What did you think would happen? That she'd sit around, pining for you? You acted like a total jackass towards her!"

"She was the same to me!"

"She's that way with everyone!"

"But, why Cody?"

"Why not, Cody?"

"It should be me!"

"Well, go tell her that, then."

"No chance."

"Then shut up."

"I hate you."

"Uh-huh. Can I go and have my match now?"

"Fine."

* * *

"Cauldwell."

Tahni squeaked and shut her eyes. "Don't see me, don't see me, don't see me."

"I've already seen you."

Tahni turned slowly, painting a big grin on her face, "Mark! Hi! Didn't even notice you there, you should have said something!"

Mark just looked at her and her grin faded. She shuffled slightly on the spot and lowered her eyes. "Sorry."

"I heard you're dating Runnels."

"Um...did you? Well...yeah. I am."

"I thought you were with Orton."

"No! Never! Lies! Slander!" She stopped abruptly as Mark raised an eyebrow at her. "Um...no...I'm not with Orton."

"Have you seen Glen?"

"Locker room."

"Okay."

Without another word, the big man wandered off, leaving Tahni staring after him. Conversations with him just got weirder and weirder. She shook her head and made her way to the gorilla position. She saw Ted and bounded over to him. "DiBiase!"

"Cauldwell! Or are you a Runnels now?"

Tahni wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "You heard, huh?"

"Yeah. How did that happen?"

"Long story. Really long. Cody!" Tahni suddenly bounced over to Cody, throwing her arms around him. He looked a little perplexed for a moment, but then grinned and leant down to whisper something in her ear which made her giggle. He was tagging with Ted tonight, so Tahni gave him a swift kiss on the mouth, squeaking as he patted her on the behind and then she watched them both walk out. She looked thoughtful, before turning to leave. She gasped as she turned and found herself staring straight at a very familiar chest. Slowly, her eyes travelled up until they met a pair of ice blue eyes, which were almost grey at the moment.

Randy grabbed her upper arms and pushed her back until she was pressed against the wall and then his mouth was attacking hers. She felt like her heart had stopped only to restart at hyper speed. She couldn't catch her breath and her hands were trapped between their bodies so she couldn't push him away, but some part of her mind registered that she didn't really want to. Her mouth opened under his and she heard him groan softly, a noise which only succeeded in making her head spin. She was glad she was against the wall because there was no way her legs would have held her at this point.

She had hoped and maybe foolishly believed, that spending so much time away from him would deaden the effect her had on her blood pressure, but now it seemed as if it had done the exact opposite. Her hands had somehow wormed free and one of them now was digging into his jaw as the other curled into his waist. He didn't relax his crushing hold on her upper arms and it was probably going to leave marks, but she didn't care.

Someone dropped something on the floor with a loud clatter and it seemed to bring Tahni to her senses. She wrenched her mouth free and shoved him back. They were both out of breath, just staring at one another. Tahni didn't know what to say, her head was a total muddle. Randy didn't seem to share her problem.

"Why are you dating, Cody?"

Tahni frowned and shook her head, still trying to catch her breath. "I like Cody."

"You like me more."

"I can't stand you."

In response to this, Randy pressed her into the wall again, though much more gently and lowered his head to lightly graze his lips over her jaw line. Tahni shuddered slightly and Randy spoke against her skin. "Do you always react like this to people you can't stand?"

Tahni pushed him away again, shaking her head vehemently, "Do you always kiss your friend's girlfriends?"

"Do you always kiss your boyfriend's best friends?"

"You kissed me."

"You kissed me back."

"You caught me off guard."

"Alright." Tahni wasn't sure what he meant, until he slowly walked towards her, reaching out to gently clasp her face in his hands. There was no doubt of his intent as his lowered his mouth to hers. He was so gentle this time, just coaxing her mouth open under his and Tahni melted. _Oh this is extremely, very not good._

He took his time, kissing her thoroughly, before moving away. He then looked at her with something like satisfaction in his eyes, before turning and walking down the corridor, leaving Tahni gasping for breath and leaning heavily on the wall.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N Thanks to; Christina89, Tenshi no Koneko, Abiha, Souless666 and JenniferRayne for reviewing the last chapter. Much appreciated, as always and I love you guys :D As always, apologies for taking so long to update, I am trying, I promise.**

**So, on with the show!

* * *

**

"Are you even listening to me?"

"What? Did you say something, Cody?"

"Tahni! This is important." Cody shook his head in exasperation, then stood up. He moved to crouch in front of Tahni, taking her hands gently in his and looking up at her, "I know what you're thinking, but don't. Everything's gonna be fine." He stood up, pressing his lips lightly to her forehead as he did. "Come on; let's go show our faces, shall we?"

Tahni wrinkled her nose at him but stood up. She adjusted her brown, combat dress and shook her bright blue hair from her eyes. This was the first night that they were going out as an official couple in public. Tahni actually felt a little sick with nerves, but she wasn't about to tell Cody that. He seemed utterly un-fazed by this.

"Alright, alright. Let's go."

"If I didn't know better, Cauldwell, I'd think you didn't want to go out with me." He nudged her playfully and she rolled her eyes at him, but said nothing as he lead her out of the hotel room and down to the bar below.

"Glenny!"

"Tahni, hey! How are-"

"Save me!" She whispered to him loudly as Cody grabbed her hand and dragged her away from Glen again. Glen just stared after her as she smiled politely at the people surrounding the newly announced couple. Even from here he could tell she was faking it and badly at that. She really was a terrible actress. He shook his head and wandered over. "Cody, would you mind if I stole Tahni for a minute?"

Cody looked surprised, having never been personally addressed by Glen before. He was mute for a moment, before nodding. Glen put an arm loosely over Tahni's shoulders and led her away towards the bar. She sighed in relief and lightly slapped her hand against his stomach, "Thanks, big guy."

"Tahni, what the hell are you doing?"

"Ordering a beer. Want one?"

"I meant with Runnels."

"Beer, please. We're dating, Glen. What does it look like?"

"It looks like you're put on a really bad show of being into him."

"I like Cody."

"Not like that, you don't."

"Sure, I do. He's cute and funny and sweet."

"Tahni."

"Ooh, beer. Thanks. He's paying." And just like that, she disappeared again, leaving Glen to pay for her beer and ponder the fact that she was definitely hiding something from him. That in itself was unusual. Tahni usually told him everything, even when he didn't want to know about it. He sighed and leaned on the bar, watching her again. There was no denying that she and Cody were a cute couple and they obviously got along very well, there was no awkwardness between them, but there was no chemistry either. They were friends, potentially great friends, but nothing more.

"Ah, shit. Here's trouble." Glen groaned as Randy walked into the bar. Why? Why did he always have to show up? Why could he and Tahni not just avoid each other? It was like some mischievous fate was playing with everything and having a good laugh over the chaos created when they were in the same room.

Tahni smiled in response to something one of Cody's friends had said. She recognised the young man, but couldn't place him. He must have worked for the company, but she simply could not remember his name. She could feel the gentle pressure of Cody's hand on the small of her back, keeping her close to his side and she leaned lightly against him, not uncomfortable with his touch. It was then that she felt a kind of heat in her mind and the sensation of being watched. She frowned a little and turned her head just a fraction, feeling a kind of magnetic pull. She knew, without knowing, what she would see and she was not disappointed.

Randy was stood at the bar, seemingly alone and his eyes seemed to be trying to burn right through her skin. Their gazes locked for a moment and she felt almost trapped. Her breath caught in her throat and she quickly looked at Cody again, "Excuse me a minute, I need some air."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Cody. Just a bit warm in here." She smiled reassuringly at him and then quickly left his side. She slipped out of the door into the gardens outside and took a deep breath. She reached down and yanked her low heels off her feet and then pressed one of her hands to her forehead, shutting her eyes. Her right leg was still braced, but she made no attempt at hiding it, everyone knew about her injury. She sighed and let her hand fall from her head. This was getting ridiculous. She shouldn't be running away from him. He was only one man and a man she didn't even like. He was annoying and rude and obnoxious. She had absolutely no reason to feel anxious when he was around.

With her resolve set, she turned to go back inside and almost screamed when she turned to find Randy stood a few feet away, watching her. One of her hands flew to her chest and she glared at him, "Stop creeping up on me!"

"It's not my fault you're deaf as a post." His voice was silky and deadly. He walked towards her and she skittered back and down a couple of steps. He smirked at her and slowly followed, taking his time as he walked down the steps. "What's wrong, Imp?"

"I don't trust you."

"Is it me you don't trust? Or yourself?"

"You. Definitely you."

"I'm hurt."

"You'll survive." She moved back a few paces as he continued to walk towards her. He stopped and watched her closely before speaking, "You and Cody look happy."

"We are."

"Liar."

"I'm not lying."

"Why'd you run as soon as you saw me, then?"

"I didn't run! I walked and it was nothing to do with you. I needed some air."

"You're lying."

"Prove it."

"That's mature."

"So's your stench."

"Oh, we're back to insults now?"

"Why change a tried and tested method?"

"I thought we were beyond this." He walked towards her again and she jumped back, holding out her hands protectively in front of her. "Stay where you are! Not one more step!"

"Or what?" Randy lifted an eyebrow at her and she looked around, spotting the pond. She reached in and grabbed a handful of gooey, green weeds from within the water. "I'll chuck it at you."

"You're gonna chuck pond weeds at me?"

"Yes."

"I don't think you will." He took half a step closer and Tahni pulled her hand back threateningly. "I'll do it!"

Randy clearly didn't believe her and carried on moving towards her, so it was a shock when he felt something cold and disgusting splatter against the front of his pristine, white shirt. He stared down at the green mess on the starched fabric, then lifted his shocked eyes to Tahni, who looked at surprised as he did. There was a long silence between then, before Tahni suddenly turned and ran as fast as she could. Randy followed, scooping a load of weeds from the pond as he passed.

He pelted her with the stinking, gooey mess as she squealed and tried to duck out of the way. This caused her to put all of her weight onto her bad leg and send her crashing to the ground. She squealed and held her hands out to brace herself. Randy abruptly dropped what was left of the pond weeds and ran to her side.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah because I always scream when I'm alright!"

"It was more of a squeal..."

"Perspective, Orton!"

"Right. Sorry. What do you want me to do? Get some ice? Should I call an ambulance? Carry you to the hotel room? Oh, maybe I should get some ice from the club, then carry you to the hotel room and call an ambulance..."

"Just go and get Cody."

"Why Cody?"

"He's my boyfriend!"

"So? He's a wussy."

"Cody is not a wussy!"

"Yes, he is and he's scared of spiders."

"Well, then it's a good job I'm not a spider."

"He's also scared of aggressive women."

Tahni bared her teeth at him angrily. "Are you calling me aggressive?" Randy looked alarmed and shook his head. "Nope. Not even a little bit."

"Would you just go and get him already?"

"Can't I just help you?"

"I don't want your help."

"What's wrong with my help?"

"The same things that's wrong with your everything else."

"What's wrong with my everything else?"

"Randy!"

"Okay, okay. I'm going...but, are you gonna be okay out here?"

"Go!"

It took Cody all of thirty seconds to get from where he was in the club, to where Tahni was outside once Randy found him. He crouched down beside his fallen girlfriend, frowning at her. "What happened?"

"Randy made me fall over."

"Hey!" Randy scowled at her, but Cody just lifted his eyebrows and then shook his head, holding out a hand to help her up. "Alright, let's see how bad this is. Can you put pressure on it?"

"Sure...ow! No."

"Okay then. Brace yourself." Cody suddenly swept her into his arms, causing her to squeak with alarm. "Cody!"

"Yes?"

"I love it when you sweep me off my feet." Tahni grinned at him and he rolled his eyes. "Don't get excited, it's only because you're injured."

"Since she's your girlfriend, aren't you supposed to enjoy this kind of stuff?" Randy folded his arms, eyeing the both of them suspiciously. They glanced at one another, then Cody cleared his throat, "Well, yeah, but...she's a fatass."

"Cody!" Tahni slapped him on the back of the head and he looked at her reproachfully. "Don't make me drop you."

Tahni pouted at him, but kept quiet as he carried her off. Once they were out of earshot of Randy, Cody smirked at her. "So, sneaking off to see Randy, huh? I should be jealous."

"I wasn't sneaking off to see him! I went to get some air and he followed me."

"How'd you end up on the floor?"

"He threw pond weeds at me and chased me."

"And you did nothing to provoke this?"

"Nothing at all."

"So why was his shirt green?"

"Um...maybe he's trying out a new style."

"You threw pond weeds at him first, didn't you?"

"...lil bit."

* * *

Back in her hotel room, the travelling doctor came to see Tahni. There was no major damage, but she was going to have to wear the brace for longer, which meant no ring time for three more weeks. This in turn led to Glen wanting to murder her. When Cody was wrestling, she took up residence at Glen's side, jabbering on and on about nothing in particular, making the big man wish he had hair so he could yank it out.

"Tahni!"

"What?"

Glen pressed a finger to her lips, "Shh." Tahni's eyes became very round and Glen knew that this was the first warning sign of an impending sulk. Oh well, at least she was quiet when she sulked.

"Glen?"

"Yeah, Tahni."

"I think I screwed up." Glen turned to frown at her. Her voice had suddenly become very quiet. He watched as she threw herself down on the couch in his locker room and ran her fingers through her shocking blue hair. "What are you talking about, T?"

She looked at him with a mournful expression and pulled one of her knees up to her chest, fiddling with her brace through her jeans. "I just...have you ever made a decision that seemed like a really good idea at the time, but seems really stupid in retrospect."

"Um...well, sure. I think everyone does that. What's this about? Is this about Cody?" Tahni head snapped up and she frowned at him, "Why would this be about Cody?"

"Well, you guys got together out of nowhere."

"Yeah..." She smiled, but offered nothing else by way of explanation. Instead, she jumped up, wincing only a little and hopped to kiss Glen on the cheek, "Thanks, Glenny." She then wandered out.

"For what? Hey! For what?" Glen frowned, but she was already gone. He shook his head and carried on getting ready for his match.

Tahni bounced down to the gorilla position to greet Cody since his match had just finished. She stopped as she turned the corner and quickly scooted out of sight, peeking round to see Cody talking to Michelle. They were very clearly flirting. Michelle was twisting from side to side, curling a lock of hair around her finger as she smiled widely at Cody who was clearly loving the attention. Tahni moved away to lean on the wall around the corner from them. She lowered her eyes to the floor, bit her bottom lip and waited. A few minutes later, Michelle came around the corner, but didn't seem to spot Tahni. Cody followed not long after and Tahni stuck her foot out to trip him.

He squawked and the glared at her playfully, noticing the strange look on her face, "You okay?"

She nodded and looped her arm through his, smiling. "Let's go eat. I'm starving!" Cody laughed and shook his head, seeing no need to remind her that she had eaten before they'd left for the arena.

"Hello Cauldwell." Tahni squeaked and spun around, staring wide-eyed. "How does someone your size make no noise when they approach?"

"Maybe I don't approach...maybe I just materialise." Mark smirked at her and folded his arms. Tahni looked extremely alarmed by this possibility. "Um...I gotta go...that way." She suddenly darted off, leaving Cody behind. He watched her, then turned to look at Mark. "Wow...you're really tall."

"Yeah."

"And creepy."

"What?"

"Nothing. Bye." Cody took off the same way Tahni had just gone; not wanting to be left alone with the Deadman. Unfortunately for him, he ran smack, bang into Randy. He skidded slightly as he tried to avoid hitting the older man, just managing it. "Wow...you're right there."

"Yes."

"Alright?"

"I've been better."

"What's up?"

"Are you that clueless?"

"Apparently."

"Your girlfriend kissed me."

"She's a great kisser, isn't she?" Cody grinned proudly and Randy stared at him like he'd grown a spare head. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Why do you care, Randy?"

"She kissed me."

"No, you kissed her."

"How do you know that?"

"She told me." Cody shrugged, easily and crossed his arms over his chest. "Let me give you some advice, Randy." He relished the words, not often was he in a position to say them to his former mentor, "Tahni's not a toy, she's not a game. You had your chance and you blew it. She's with me now. Man up and get over it." He patted Randy on the shoulder as he passed him, allowing himself a satisfied smirk when the older man couldn't see it and went in search of his girlfriend.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I haven't yet decided how much longer I'm going to continue this. So let me know if you want me to keep going or if you'd like to see it come to a conclusion soon. Thank you so much to: _Christina89, Souless666, Sonib89, Leelan Jacobs _and _Tenshi no Koneko _for reviewing the last chapter. I adore you guys! I hope this chapter was worth the wait.**

**On with the show!

* * *

**

"Cody!"

"Ah! Jesus! Tahni, don't do that!" Cody put a hand over his heart and glared at his girlfriend who had seemingly popped out of nowhere to appear at his side. Tahni shrugged apologetically, then grinned, "Can I borrow your hair gel?" Cody lifted his eyebrows at her, "What for?"

"I'm your girlfriend! You're not meant to ask, just gimme!"

"Are you kidding? This stuff costs $80 a tub, of course I'm gonna ask!"

"$80? Really?"

"No."

"Gimme!" Tahni held her hands out and Cody dropped the tub into her hands. She then giggled and ran out. Cody thought nothing more of it as he turned back to the mirror and straightened out his shirt. He almost jumped out of his skin when an enraged bellow sounded from the next room and then a high pitched squeal, followed by a lot of giggling and light footsteps running past his door. Ted was in the next room. Cody frowned and went to the door, almost scared to open it. He was met by Ted's murderous expression. "You!"

"I didn't do anything!" Cody squeaked innocently, taking in Ted's appearance. He was covered in globs of hair gel. Oh dear. What had that crazy imp done this time. "You gave her the hair gel!"

"How do you know?"

"It smells like you!"

"You smell my hair?" Ted stopped and then coughed a little, shaking his head fervently. "Don't be ridiculous. CAULDWELL!" He took off down the hall, catching up with Tahni in the lobby. At which point she grabbed the nearest available bell boy and used him as a human shield. Ted tried to duck around him, but Tahni kept jerking the poor boy round to cut him off. This resulted in the both being thrown out of the hotel.

* * *

"This is all your fault." Tahni muttered sulkily. Ted shook his head as they turned into the parking lot of the new hotel. "It is not!"

"You were trying to kill me!"

"You should have taken it like a man!"

"I'm not a man!"

"This is still your fault!"

"You were trying to kill me!"

"You threw hair gel at me!"

"Yeah…that was funny as hell. You should have seen your face." Tahni chuckled to herself, ignoring Ted throwing her a dirty look. They checked into the hotel, who had clearly been in contact with the one they'd just left because they were made to promise to behave. Tahni dumped her stuff in her room, then bounced round to Ted's. She opened the door without knocking. Ted was hanging stuff up. Tahni threw herself facedown on the bed, earning her a snort of laughter from Ted. "Can I use your phone?"

"What's wrong with the phone in your room?"

"It's in my room. I'm here." Ted rolled his eyes, but nodded. Tahni grabbed the phone and punched in the required number. It took a couple of rings, but eventually Glen answered. "Glenny! Hi!"

"_Tahni. Where have you been? I've been looking for you."_

"DiBiase got us thrown out of the hotel."

"Hey!" Ted glowered at her, but she just stuck her tongue out.

"_What? Are you serious?"_

"No, I'm lying. I thought it would be a brilliantly witty trick to play on you. Of course I'm serious!"

"_Where are you now?"_

"We're at the Sheraton, which is closer to the arena. So, I win!" They chatted for a little while longer, or rather, Tahni chatted whilst Glen tried to get a word in edgeways. When she eventually hung up, she looked around, frowning a little. "DiBiase?" There was no sign of him. She stood up and checked the bathroom. "Ted?" Nothing. She shrugged and went back to her room only to find the door slightly ajar. She walked inside.

"So, what are you wearing?" Ted was laying on her bed, using her phone. "Oh really? What colour is it?"

"DiBiase! Are you making sex calls from my room?" Ted looked up and grinned, then shook his head, "No. It's Cody." Tahni snatched the phone from him and held it to her ear. "Cody?"

"_Yeah, it's me."_

"Okay, just checking." She then hung up the phone and smacked Ted on the arm, hard. He howled in pain, but Tahni ignored him and seeing he was getting no attention, he stopped. He then sat up and watched her with an inquisitive gaze. "What are you staring at?"

"What's with you and Cody?"

"What do you mean?" Tahni lifted her eyebrows, then started unpacking her case. Ted rolled his eyes and lounged back against the headboard. Tahni whacked his legs to make him take the off the bedspread. "I mean, what's with you and Cody? How did you end up together?"

"Oh, that…" Tahni shrugged, not looking at him, "It was because of the letter he sent me. You know, romance and sweet words. I love all that."

"Oh, really?" Ted's voice was almost smug and definitely amused. Tahni eyed him and nodded. "Yes, really."

"Then why did I see him making out with Michelle the other day?"

"WHAT? That jackass! He's meant to be staying away from her! That was the deal!" Tahni scowled and Ted sat up a little straighter, "What deal?" Tahni looked at him and then immediately back-pedalled. "Um…well…the thing is…"

"What is the thing?"

"I'll tell you what the thing is."

"What is it?"

"It's this."

"What?"

"Shut up, Ted! The thing is, Cody and Michelle were flirting a lot and I got jealous so he promised to stay away from her. Guess he broke his promise. Heh. Stupid me, eh? Thinking he'd do it." She laughed uneasily and then quickly retreated into the bathroom. Ted wasn't having that. He stood up and followed her, "Okay. Out with it."

"Out with what?" Tahni pretended to be very interested in the complimentary shampoo. Ted suddenly grabbed the small can of complimentary shaving foam and pointed it at her. "Sing or I'll foam you."

"I'm not telling you anything." Tahni then squealed and Ted started spraying her with the foam. "Sing, birdie! Sing!"

"Alright, alright! Cut it out!" Tahni surrendered and Ted let up, but kept the can pointed at her. She then began to explain, only interrupted by Ted's gasped and occasional swearing as he finally discovered the truth behind Cody and Tahni's relationship.

* * *

"Hey, Ted." Cody nodded to his friend, who was just looking at him with a blank gaze. He frowned and waved a hand in front of his face. "Ted?"

"You're a very bad man!" Ted nodded firmly, as if to back-up his statement and Cody stared at him in bemusement. "What? Why?"

"I know."

"Know what?"

"I knooooooow."

"Know whaaaat?"

"Iiiiit."

"Whaaaaat?"

"I know about you and Tahni." Cody's eyebrows went up and he folded his arms loosely, "Um…Ted, everyone knows about me and Tahni." He yelped as Ted suddenly smacked him across the back of that head. "Not that, dumbass. I know the real reason you guys are together." Cody rubbed his head and then Ted's words sunk in, "Oh."

"You're a bad, bad man."

"Hey! Don't judge me!"

"I saw you making out with Michelle!"

"Holy crap, Ted! What are you, omnipotent?"

"Yes!…No. I saw you. Tahni's mad." Cody sighed and dropped his hand from his head. "I should go find her."

"Yes. You should. Bad man."

"Stop saying that!"

"Baaaaad maaaaan! Ow!" Ted grabbed his head dramatically as Cody whacked him and then walked out. He found Tahni in Glen's locker room, but Glen was wrestling, so she was just watching the t.v. "Hey, Cauldwell."

"Go away."

"Look, T, I know you're mad-"

"Mad? I'm not mad. I'm way beyond mad!" She suddenly stood up and threw one of her boots at him, "You dumbass!"

Cody dodged out of the way, holding his hands up defensively, "I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! I've tried not to, but I can't! Come on, you know what it's like!"

"You were supposed to stay away from her, you idiot!"

"Are you jealous?"

"What? Ew! No! I don't care about that! You broke the deal!"

"Oh, come on! Like you haven't thought about it!"

"Thinking and doing are different things." Tahni folded her arms and glared at him, pouting. He sighed and slowly walked towards her, putting his arms around her and hugging her. She didn't respond, just stood there. "I'm sorry, T. If you want, you can go sleep with Orton to make yourself feel better."

Tahni elbowed him, then made a face, "I guess this wasn't such a great idea, huh?" Cody rubbed the back of his neck and laughed a little, "I guess not."

"Call it quits?"

"Yeah." They shook hands, then grinned at one another, before Cody motioned to the door. "Y'know…Randy's match isn't up for another half hour." Tahni smirked at him and shook her head, then bounced up to kiss his cheek and wandered out. She was dancing along the hallway when she almost collided with Mark. She squeaked and then looked at him with a wide grin. "Hi, Mark!"

"Cauldwell." He nodded to her, waiting for the usual fear and subsequent running away, so he was shocked when she jumped up to pat his shoulder and then danced off. He stared after her with wide eyes. Maybe he was losing his touch. He needed to go scare someone to make up for it. He turned, scanning for anyone close buy, then smirked. "Hey! McIntyre!" There was a frightened yelp before Mark strode off down the hall.

* * *

Tahni banged on the locker room door and waited impatiently. To say Randy looked shocked to see her was an understatement. She'd never seen his eyes so round. He just stared at her until she coughed impatiently. "Are you going to invite me in?" Without a word, Randy stood to one side and Tahni carefully slipped inside. She looked around and then back to Randy, who was just watching her. Finally, he spoke, "Does Cody know you're here?"

Tahni nodded, still looking around aimlessly. "We broke up." Her light tone surprised Randy and he wasn't sure whether to be happy because she was no longer with Cody or worried because she might be upset. "Why?"

"He wears women's underwear."

"I knew it." Randy smirked and Tahni finally looked at him, folding her arms loosely. "I came to apologise for ruining your shirt."

"My shirt? Oh, at the club. Yeah…it's okay. I have others." Tahni nodded slowly and didn't say anything else. Randy walked towards her hesitantly. "Is your leg okay? I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't think. I didn't mean to make you mess it up even more. You know it was an accident, right?"

"Randy."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me." Tahni lifted her eyebrows and Randy needed no further encouragement. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her towards him as his mouth descended onto hers. She let out a small, happy sigh and placed her hands lightly on either side of his neck, leaning up a little to compensate for how tall her was. One of his hands moved to rest between her shoulder blades, pulling her even closer, whilst the other strayed just underneath her tank top to gently caress the skin beneath.

Kissing Tahni, was like biting chunks out of pure light, it was invigorating and Randy wasn't sure how he'd managed to go without it since the day he'd found out she was with Cody. He hadn't felt a moment of remorse for that day, but this felt even better. Knowing she had come to him because she wanted him as much as he wanted her.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Thank you SO much for all the reviews. I love it! We're close to the 150 mark now and don't forget whoever posts the 150th review will get a one-shot.**

**Thanks to: _Christina89, JenniferRayne, Souless666(I'm sorry you weren't happy, but do remember this story isn't about Mark, so his appearances will be minimal), MesshaBlack, Sonib89, Barnsley Gal 09, Court Court17, Tenshi no Koneko and Leelan Jacobs._**

**This chapter's a bit fluffy and was fun to write. After this, there will be only one more chapter and then I have decided to part ways with Tahni, though she may reappear in some of the things I do in the future as I love her so much. I hope you enjoy this one :D**

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"Orton, you're up." Randy sighed, glaring at the door which the techie's voice had just come through. He looked at Tahni, who was curled up against his side on the couch of the locker room. He squeezed her lightly and said nothing as he stood up. Tahni sat up and rubbed her eyes, running her fingers through her bright blue hair. Randy looked at her as he reached the door, "I'll see you afterwards?"

"Actually I'm gonna head to the hotel with Glen to get ready to go out. I'll see you at the party." Randy didn't seem happy but he nodded. He went to leave, but Tahni had gotten up and moved, much swifter than he had imagined she could and grabbed his arm. He looked at her as she reached up to clasp his face, drawing him down and planting a mind-blowing kiss on his mouth. "Good luck." She smirked, watching him wander off with a slightly dazed expression.

She checked the time, then darted down to Glen's locker room, catching him just as he was leaving. She ducked behind him before he could see her and followed him. She reached out and tapped the back of his shoulder, but as he spun around, she went with him, staying behind him. She put a hand over her mouth to mask her giggles and then did it again. On the third occasion, Glen decided to go the other way, catching her off guard. She squeaked and then waved at him. "Hi."

"Where have you been?" Tahni answered only with an impish grin and shrugged. Glen narrowed his eyes, "I talked to Cody. Well, actually…Mark and I talked to Cody." Tahni's eyes went very round, "Glenny! What did you do?"

"We just talked."

"Where is Cody."

"He told us everything."

"Is he alive?"

"He said you were only together to try and avoid the people you really wanted."

"Did Mark eat him?"

"He then said you'd gone to see Randy."

"At least tell me where his remains are. I have to tell his family."

"Tahni!"

"What?"

"What happened when you went to see Randy?" Tahni smirked at him and folded her arms loosely, "I helped him warm up for his match." Glen frowned and then his eyebrows shot up, before he cringed. "Okay. Little more information than I needed. So you guys are together now?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I. Don't. Know."

"How can you not know?"

"I just don't."

"How?"

"I don't knooooooow."

"But-"

"Glenny! Shut it." Tahni shook her head at him and he rolled his eyes, but ceased his questioning, though he was still determined to find out what was going on.

* * *

Ted's birthday had been a week ago, but they'd all been working that night, so they decided to have the party in Maine just before they all headed home for the weekend. Ted was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement and all but tackled Tahni as she walked through the door to the function room in the hotel. She grinned at him and held out a box, wrapped in brightly coloured paper. Ted grinned at her. "Aw! You shouldn't have!"

"Well, in that case, I'll keep it."

"No! My present! Gimme!" Tahni snickered as he snatched it out of her hands and ripped the paper off, then he hugged her until she couldn't breathe. "DiBiase! Can't…breathe! You're crushing my ribs!" Ted let go quickly and looked at the box which contained a pair of custom wrestling boots, inscribed with his name down the sides. "The soles are rainbow coloured, so you'll think of me every time you wear them."

Ted turned the box over and over, but resisted the urge to open it and put the boots on. "Thanks, Cauldwell."

"No problem."

"Randy! Over here!" Tahni suddenly looked round to where Ted was waving and saw Randy, looking positively edible in a pair of stone wash jeans and a slate grey shirt, with the first two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled back. His eyes met Tahni's and he offered her a small smile, which she returned, before practically scampering away.

She missed the frown which appeared on Randy's face as she headed to get a drink. Rather than her usual beer, she opted for a very large rum. She was quite innocently avoiding Randy when she felt a large hand come down on her shoulder. She squeaked, fearing the worst and turned to stare at the chest in front of her. She frowned and slowly looked up, then squeaked as she reached Mark's face. He nodded and let his hand fall from her shoulder. "You and Orton, huh?"

"Uh…No."

"No?"

"No."

"From what Runnels said, you two were a sure thing."

"Well…Run- I mean, Cody, was wrong."

"Do you remember what I told you that day in your hotel room?"

"Yes, of course…blind fear has a way of making you pay attention."

"Good." With that, he slowly strolled away, leaving Tahni staring after him. She then almost died of a heart attack, when another hand came down on her shoulder, but this time it was Glen. She whacked him on the arm, then squealed and winced. "What is it with you people creeping up on me?"

Glen lifted his eyebrows, "Tahni, I'm seven feet tall, how you didn't notice me stood behind you, is something that I will never understand."

"What do you want?"

"I have to want something to talk to you?"

"Yes."

"You're in a good mood tonight."

"Don't make me hit you again."

"I think it would hurt you more than it would me." Tahni glared at him and then took a mouthful of her drink, wincing slightly, having forgotten what she was drinking. Glen watched her with amusement as she forced herself to swallow the burning liquid. "Why are you drinking rum?"

"I like rum."

"You hate rum."

"Yeah, I do."

"So, why are you drinking it?"

"Because it's stronger than beer." Glen lifted an eyebrow at her and shook his head. "Oh, look, here comes Randy." Tahni squeaked and wheeled round, only to spot Randy on the other side of the room, talking to someone else. She then turned back to Glen, scowling, whilst he grinned at her. "You gonna tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on."

"Why are you avoiding Randy?"

"I'm not."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Purposely staying out of his way."

"Tahni." Glen shook his head, releasing an exasperated sigh. He didn't get to say anything else, as she suddenly disappeared. Moments later, Randy was stood next to him, frowning, "Hey, Glen."

"Hi."

"I thought I saw Tahni talking to you."

"You did."

"Where'd she go?"

"No idea." Randy ran a hand down his face, making a noise of frustration. He had by now figured out that Tahni was avoiding him, he just didn't know why. He'd figured everything would be cool between them now, that maybe they could make some progress. He should have known nothing was ever that simple with Tahni.

Glen watched him with a sympathetic expression. Okay, so he was keen on the idea of Tahni and Randy being together. In his mind, it was a recipe for disaster, but he didn't like them dancing around each other either. He had no idea what was going on in Tahni's head, so he couldn't offer any advice to Randy. Tahni, as beautiful and clever as she was, was something of a mystery. She talked almost constantly, but said very little. She babbled on and on, without ever giving up any real information. It was not something you ever got used to.

"If you see her, can you tell her I need to talk to her?" Glen nodded and watched as Randy traipsed off, looking downtrodden. Tahni then seemed to pop out of nowhere and she was frowning. Glen looked at her quizzically, "Where you hiding?"

"Doesn't matter."

"What are you doing, T?"

"Don't know."

"Are you ever gonna talk to him?"

"Don't know. I planned on it. Had it all figured out in my head and then…I dunno."

"Are you scared?"

"Maybe."

"What of?"

"Lots of things. Balloons, fireworks, Mark."

"Balloons, really?"

"Yeah! They freak me out!" Tahni wrinkled her nose, whilst Glen just rolled his eyes. He looked across the room and saw Mark had approached Randy, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Glen would have paid money to be able to hear what Mark was saying. Tahni hadn't noticed, she had been distracted by the appearance of Chris and was happily chattering away to him. Mark suddenly looked over and made a subtle motion that only Glen would have been able to read. He turned and looked at Tahni, "Hey, T. Have you seen the gardens in this place?"

Tahni looked at him and tilted her head. "No, why?"

"They have this awesome fountain that changes colours. Come on, I'll show you." Without another word he grabbed her hand and dragged her out. He wasn't lying. In the middle of the large gardens was a magnificent fountain that was lit from inside, causing the water to stream out different colours. "Ooh. It's really pretty!"

"Yeah, it is." Tahni spun round, that wasn't Glen's voice. She found herself face-to-face with Randy. She opened and closed her mouth mutely, then scowled. "I'm going to kill him."

"Who?"

"Glen."

"Ah." They stood in awkward silence for a while, neither knowing what to say. Randy suddenly moved forwards and Tahni skittered back, until her legs hit the low edge of the fountain. She squeaked and almost toppled over, but Randy caught her quickly. She looked at him with wide eyes, "Thanks."

"No problem." They just looked at one another, until Tahni shifted slightly. "You can let me go now."

"Not until you tell me why you've been avoiding me."

"I haven't been avoiding you. I just got caught up talking to everyone." She laughed uneasily, but one look at Randy's stony expression caused her to sober up and she coughed a little. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me the truth."

"About what?"

"About why you've been avoiding me and don't say you haven't. I know you have."

"Well…because."

"Because…?"

"Just, because." Randy sighed and let her go. He ran a hand over his head in frustration and turned away from her. Seeing that he was heading back inside, Tahni quickly grabbed him arm to stop him and moved around in front of him, placing her hands on his chest. "Wait, don't go."

"I thought you didn't want to talk to me."

"I didn't say that."

"You've been avoiding me!"

"I know."

"And now you want me to stay?"

"Yes."

"Make up your mind!" Tahni flinched a little as he raised his voice and then shook her head, "Look, this isn't easy, okay? Give me a break."

"Give you a break? I have tried giving you a break! I've tried being patient, I've tried everything I can think of! Either you want to be with me or you don't!" Tahni frowned at him, then shoved him hard. He let out a yelp of surprise, but she did it again. In fact she kept shoving him until suddenly he felt himself falling backwards and then the cold rush of water all over him. She'd pushed him into the fountain! He stared at her and she stared back, then she put her hands over her mouth to contain the laughter that was caused by the sight of him sitting in the middle of the fountain, looking shocked. Randy growled, then grabbed her and yanked her in too. She screamed and hit out at him. "Randy! This dress is expensive!"

"So are these jeans!"

"You have hundreds of jeans!"

"You have hundreds of dresses!"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

"This!" She grabbed his face and kissed him. His mouth tasted of peppermint and cold water, they were both drenched, which wasn't helped by the water which was still pouring over them from the fountain. Randy didn't seem to notice and his hands sought her waist, pulling her forwards so that she was kneeling between his legs. His fingers then began to explore the wet tips of her electric blue hair, the curve of her neck and shoulder. His hands danced along her arms to her hands, which were still gripping his face. He pulled them away and then suddenly pulled out of the kiss.

He looked at her and she looked at him. They were both breathing hard and Tahni suddenly smiled and to Randy it was as if the sun had come out from behind heavy cloud. She shook her head, sending diamond droplets of water in all directions. "Of course I want to be with you."

"Then why didn't you just tell me?"

"You can hurt me, Randy. Really hurt me."

"And you think I would?"

"I think you might."

"Why?"

"Because, you don't always think before you speak and you act without thinking."

"And you don't?"

"I'm allowed to."

"Why?"

"Because I'm fabulous!" Randy snorted with laughter, then clasped her face in his hands and drew her into another kiss. She gripped the front of his shirt to hold him in place. They surfaced after a few minutes and Randy gently cradled her face between his hands, treating her as if she might shatter at any moment, "Tahni, I wont ever hurt you."

"You better not."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because I have Mark as a guard dog."

"Does he know that?"

"No. Are you crazy? You never tell a guard dog, that they're a guard dog!"

"Why?"

"Because, idiot, they'll bite you."

"That makes no sense at all."

"It makes perfect sense!" Tahni pouted, looking offended and Randy laughed, then nodded, "You're right. Perfect sense." Tahni grinned and kissed him again, sighing softly against his mouth. Reluctantly, Randy broke away and rested his forehead against her, "We should get out of the fountain." Tahni suddenly looked up, as if she'd forgotten where they were. She giggled and nodded, "Yeah, we should."

It took a few attempts, mainly because Randy kept slipping back over, but eventually, they were able to clamber out of the fountain. Or rather, Tahni clambered out and then dragged Randy with her. Tahni then reached down to pull off her boots, tipping them upside down and watched the water pour out of them, "Well, we can't go back inside like this." Randy motioned to their collectively soaked clothes and Tahni shook her head gravely. "We should go and change." Randy smirked at her and they quickly turned and ran out of the gardens, heading back inside the hotel.

* * *

"It's disgusting! I think I'm going to be sick. Are they done yet?" Glen peered over his shoulder, then quickly looked back and shook his head at Ted, who grimaced. Randy and Tahni had been stuck together for almost ten minutes now as Glen and Ted waited for them so that they could get going. They had to be at the airport in half an hour and they were all going in Randy's Hummer. "Well, someone's got to separate them." Ted muttered.

"I vote you."

"What? Why me?"

"Because you're her best friend."

"You're his best friend."

"Doesn't matter. She's the one who's gonna bite someone if they try and get her off him."

"You're a dirty coward, DiBiase."

"Yeah, but I'm still alive." Glen glared at him, then turned and stalked over to Tahni and Randy. He cleared his throat loudly, but was ignored. "Hey! We have to leave and if you two don't get moving, right now, I'm going to hotwire the Hummer!" That got a reaction, Randy broke away from Tahni to stare at Glen. "You can't do that to my baby!"

"Watch me." Tahni giggled and shook her head, "Alright, alright. We're coming." She elbowed Randy lightly in the ribs as he grumbled unhappily about the threat to his car. She grabbed his hand and dragged him along. Once in the car, she turned the stereo up and she and Ted sang along, mostly off key and often getting the words wrong. Randy looked at Glen in the rear view mirror. "I vote we dump them at the nearest rest stop."

"Why a rest stop? Let's just release them into the wild."

"I don't think nature could take it."

"Good point." Glen reached over and clamped his hand down over Ted's mouth. The younger man looked at him in shock, then hung his head sadly. Tahni giggled and then leaned over and kissed Randy's cheek, her hand, which had been resting on his knee suddenly darted up along his thigh, causing him to jump violently. "Hey!" He looked at her with narrowed eyes.

Tahni grinned at him and pointed to the windshield. "Eyes on the road, Randy-kins."


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry this update has taken so long. I must confess, I've been kind of avoiding it because I'm sad to end this story, but I have promised myself that Tahni will reappear in the future because I'm far too attached to her to say goodbye permanently.**

**Thank you SO much to; Christina89, Tenshi no Koneko, Sonib89, xxxRKOEnigmaxxx, Souless666, JenniferRayne, MesshaBlack and Leelan Jacobs for reviewing the last chapter. Also to anyone who's reviewed at any point during this story.**

**On another note, I am very embarrassed to admit, I only Just realised I have been spelling Glenn's name wrong throughout the ENTIRE thing. I was using the British spelling for it, so I apologise hugely for that.**

**So, for the last time on this story; **

**On with the show!

* * *

**

"Get your fat ass here, right now!" Tahni squealed and ran. She skidded around a corner and headed down the corridor. Randy was stood by the gorilla position and looked at her inquisitively. "Sorry, baby. Necessary sacrifice." She kissed him quickly, then shoved him in the direction she had just come from, before grabbing hold of the high scaffold behind the titantron and swinging herself easily up. Randy frowned in confusion, then his eyes widened as Glenn came around the corner with the speed and force of a freight train. He had the kind of momentum that could only be stopped by a sudden impact. An impact which left Randy splayed out on the floor, feeling like his intestines had just been punched through his spine.

Glenn had hit the ground beside him and looked at him first with confusion and then apologetically, "Sorry, Orton." He clambered to his feet and looked around, before stopping and letting his eyes travel slowly up. Tahni was close to the very top of the rigging, looking down at him with an impish smirk. "Get down here now!"

"That would be entirely counter-productive, Glenny."

"Counter-productive to what?"

"To me staying alive." Glenn narrowed his eyes at her, then grabbed hold of the scaffold and started climbing. Tahni's eyes widened. She hadn't banked on someone Glenn's size being able to climb…at least, not THAT quickly. She swore and clambered further along and down. Glenn saw what she was doing and headed towards her. "Baby! Catch me!"

Randy had just stumbled to his feet and frowned, looking up, "Wh-? AH!" He hit the floor again, this time with Tahni in his arms. He did his best to make sure neither of them were seriously injured, but this resulted in her landing with most of her weight squarely on his chest, pushing the breath sharply out of his lungs. "I'm sorry." Tahni fussed over him for a moment, peppering kisses all over his face, before a thud nearby indicated that Glenn had gotten back to the ground. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." She spluttered quickly, before jumping to her feet and darting away. Randy managed to drag himself up in time to see Glenn speeding off after her. He had no idea what she'd done this time, but given the bruises he was going to be nursing, he had a feeling he didn't want to know.

Glenn had Tahni cornered in the catering area and advanced on her slowly. She reached for the nearest thing to defend herself with, which just happened to be a fresh apple pie. Of course. She rolled her eyes at the pie, before looking back at Glenn. Well, gotta make the best of what you've got. "Don't come any closer or the pie gets it!" Glenn just looked at her and she adjusted her threat a little, "I mean…Don't come any closer or you get the pie…in your face…Dammit, Glenn! That was gonna be a good threat!" Glenn just shook his head and then grabbed one of the large salad bowls. Tahni scoffed at him, "What are you gonna do? Health food me to death?"

Glenn smirked at her darkly, "Do you know one of the key ingredients of a good salad, T?" Tahni narrowed her eyes suspiciously and then screamed as Glen threw a bunch of the salad at her, but it was dripping with something which smelled sweet and sour at the same time and was a horrible yellow/green colour. Glenn grinned, "Dressing!"

"Oh, snap!" Tahni scooped out a chunk of the pie and lobbed it at his head. It missed and hit his chest instead. What ensued could only be described as chaos. The other superstars and divas quickly ran for cover as Glenn and Tahni grabbed every food source they could reach and pelted one another with it. At some point, Glenn stepped in a puddle of the goo which had amassed on the floor and went crashing to the ground, taking Tahni with him. They both sat on the floor, breathless and giggling, covered in food. Glen held out his hand. "Give it up." Tahni eyed him and then reached into her pocket and pulled out a small digital camera and slapped it into his palm. Glenn quickly went through and erased the pictures she'd taken of him coming out of the shower dressed in a pink bathrobe, with a shower cap on.

"Why do you even use a shower cap?" Tahni suddenly reached over and rubbed his head vigorously, "You've got no haaaair!" Glenn swiped at her hand and she giggled, drawing it back sharply. They then both became aware that they had an audience and looked round slowly to find Mark watching them. This in itself would have been fine, but in his hands were two large bowls of trifle, all cream and jam and soggy fruit. Glenn and Tahni looked at one another, before attempting to bolt to their feet. This was quite a task considering the floor was covered in mushed up food. They didn't stand a chance and suddenly both of them had bowls of trifle upended over their heads. Tahni squealed as the cold custard dripped down her neck and Glen just sat in subdued silence.

Mark then moved away and reappeared with two mops, which he held out to them. Without a word, they both stood up and took the mops. Mark kept a close eye on them as they cleaned up the mess they'd made, occasionally muttering and blaming each other for it. When they were done, which took well over an hour. Mark folded his arms over his chest and glared at them both, "Now, what have we learned?"

"Never let you near trifle?" Tahni suggested in a helpful tone. Mark's eyes narrowed and she jumped behind Glenn for protection. "No, Cauldwell. We have learned that when all is said and done, no matter who the fight is between; _I _always win." On that, he turned and left the catering area. Glenn and Tahni stared after him, then looked at each other and burst out laughing.

* * *

"Tahni, you're up." Tahni looked in shock at the techie. It was the first time any of them had remember to call her by her first name. She grinned and bounced over, hugging him fiercely. The poor man didn't seem to know what to do and just patted her back awkwardly. She detached herself and jogged down to the gorilla position. She burst out through the curtain like a whirlwind, spinning in place and throwing her hands up. She ran down to the ring and slid under the bottom rope, before vaulting to her feet. Her match against Michelle McCool was high energy. Michelle seemed to have picked up on Tahni's enthusiasm and the commentators were hard pressed to keep up with everything that was going on. At one point Tahni took a running jump and landed on the second turnbuckle, then clambered up to the top, facing out towards the crowd. Michelle had been laid out on the mat, but she suddenly hopped up and ran towards Tahni. It resulted in one hell of a super-plex that Tahni knew she'd be feeling for a week.

Michelle won the match, but Tahni didn't mind. By the time it finished, the crowd were buzzed, not quite sure which way they were going, but extremely happy to be there. Hearing that many voices, screaming their approval was all the victory she would ever need.

Backstage, the two women embraced briefly. Tahni grinned, "Awesome match, 'Chelle." Michelle grinned at her, then Mark appeared and put an arm around her. Tahni's eyes widened as if she were afraid for the other woman, but instead of being scared, Michelle just tilted her face up and Mark kissed her chastely before walking away. Tahni spluttered in disbelief, much to Michelle's amusement. "He-…y-…bu-…What?"

Michelle giggled and shook her head, "Tahni we got married a month ago. How did you not know that?"

"I try to avoid him."

"Why? He's a sweetheart."

"He dumped trifle on my head!"

Michelle giggled harder and nodded, "Yeah, I know. He told me." Tahni was gob smacked. She hugged Michelle again and congratulated her, even though she was way behind on the times. She did make sure to remind her though, to be on the look-out for any baby eating or body hiding…just in case.

* * *

"Theodore! Come _here!"_ Tahni pointed to the floor of the parking lot in front of her and Ted sighed heavily and wandered over. They just looked at each other for a long time, before Ted spoke in the highest, whiniest voice he could manage, "Whaaaaaat?" In reply Tahni stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, "Hi." She then turned and bounced away. Ted blinked rapidly and then rubbed his head in confusion.

"You alright, DiBiase?" Ted jumped violently and looked at Glenn, before shaking his head, "Don't do that!"

"Do what?"

"That!"

"What?"

"That…appearing out of nowhere thing!"

"Why not?"

"You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days!"

"Your point?" Glenn lifted his eyebrows innocently and Ted smacked his face with his palm. Glenn's smug expression didn't last long as he suddenly felt something hit the front of his white shirt. He looked down and his eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the huge, wet stain and the water now dripping off him. He heard Ted let out a bellow beside him and both men lifted their heads slowly to see Tahni stood a fair distance away with a carrier bag full of water balloons, grinning impishly at them.

"Hey, Cauldwell!" Ted called out and Tahni tilted her head curiously to indicate that she was listening. Glenn then pointed upwards, "Look up." Tahni frowned, then lifted her head suspiciously towards the ceiling of the parking lot before letting out a high pitched scream. She continued to scream as water poured down over her. Randy had warned them about her plan with the water balloons, so they had set up three giant ones, right over her head.

* * *

"Just keep your eyes closed."

"Randy, come on, this is stupid!"

"Just do as I say." Randy's voice was amused as he helped Tahni out of the car, making sure that she was keeping her eyes firmly closed. Tahni wrinkled her nose after hopping out of the air conditioned care. "Damn, it's hot here."

"Well, what did you expect? It's mid July in Phoenix." Tahni pointed her face in his direction and he knew she'd be glaring at him if her eyes were open. He chuckled and took her hand, leading her forwards. She walked with the ease of someone who had total faith in the person leading them. Randy really hoped there were no holes in the ground because if she tripped, she'd never forgive him.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost. Shut up."

"Did you just tell me to shut up?"

"Yes, I did. Now do it."

"I hate you."

"Sure, you do. Now shut it."

"Randy, why can't you just tell me where we're going?"

"We're almost there. Just be patient." Tahni stopped and turned towards him again. Even without her eyes open, the look on her face pretty much told him how stupid that suggestion had been, "Yeah, point taken. Come on, just a little further." Tahni huffed grumpily, but allowed him to keep leading her. They soon stopped and Tahni could have sworn she heard muffled snickering coming from close by. "Randy Orton if you have got me out here in front of an audience, looking ridiculous, I will peel your skin from your body."

"Nice, Tahni." Randy shook his head and then moved to stand behind her. "Okay, open your eyes." Tahni immediately did so, but then had to blink rapidly as the sunlight was bouncing brightly off the building in front of her. As her eyes adjusted, she didn't care about the building. Stood directly in front of her were the four most important people in her life. She squealed and ran towards them, trying to throw her arms around them all at once.

First, her parents hugged her tightly, laughing at her enthusiasm, "Mom! Daddy!" Then her brother, "Jay Jay!" And finally, she stopped in front of the last person and a small smirk appeared on his face, before he opened his arms and she jumped into them. "Mikey! I've missed you so much!" She hadn't seen her family in quite a while. She'd been spending most weekends working instead of going home and Randy knew how much she'd been missing them.

When she'd calmed down a little, she turned to look at Randy, who was watching her with an amused expression. She ran towards him and jumped, hooking her arms around his neck and kissing in him a way no girl should ever do in front of her father.

* * *

"Bird, bird, bird is the word!" Tahni was dancing around the hotel room. Her family had gone home the previous evening and she was still buzzed from having been able to spend a few days with them. Randy would be a lot happier if she'd stop singing that song. He walked up behind her and clamped a hand down over her mouth, "Shut it, Imp." Tahni licked his hand obnoxiously and he drew it back sharply. "Ew!"

Tahni smirked at him, "Sorry, ass clown."

"Oh, we're doing that again, are we?"

"You started it."

"I did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Whatever, ass clown. Hey, can I paint a picture of a clown on your ass? No-one would see it! Go on, Randy! It'd be funny as hell!"

"No! You cannot paint a clown on my ass!"

"You're right…that was a stupid idea."

"I'm glad you think so."

"First I'd have to find your ass and that could take weeks!" Tahni grinned and Randy suddenly tackled her to the floor and pinned her down. Tahni lifted her eyebrows, "Now, remember what happened last time you did this, Randy-kins." She wriggled a little to prove her point. Randy closed his eyes and gritted his teeth together. When he opened his eyes, Tahni was smirking at him smugly. He nodded slowly, "Yeah, but I didn't do this last time." He suddenly moved back and then started tickling her mercilessly. One of his hands kept hold of her wrists so she couldn't fight him off, whilst the other expertly found all the extra sensitive ticklish spots on her body.

He didn't release her until she was completely out of breath, her face red and flustered and her hair falling in her eyes, weak from giggling so much. He finally relented and just held himself over her, resting his forehead against hers, "So, what were you saying about my ass?"

Tahni suddenly put her arms around him and grabbed his butt, "I love your ass." Randy nodded and then kissed her lightly. He went to clamber off her, but she grabbed his shirt and held him there. He looked at her inquisitively and she smiled at him, "And I love you." Randy's eyes widened, just a fraction and then a grin spread across his face. He kissed her again, then sat up, pulling her with him. Tahni squeaked in surprised as the sudden movement and finding herself sat in Randy's lap. He circled her waist with his arms and placed a light row of kisses from the corner of her mouth to her ear. "I love you too."

Tahni giggled as his breath tickled her ear and then pushed him back a little to look at him, "I know." Randy lifted his eyebrows, "You know."

"Of course I know."

"How do you know?"

"I just know."

"How?"

"You don't want me to tell you."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't."

"Do."

"Don't"

"Do."

"Don't."

"Tell me!"

"Never!"

"Tell me or else!"

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll tell Mark you have a crush on him!" Tahni narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "You wouldn't." By way of demonstration Randy took out his cell and scrolled through his contacts til he found Mark's name, making sure Tahni could see what he was doing. Tahni suddenly grabbed the phone off him, "Alright, alright!"

"So, how do you know?"

"You talk in your sleep." Tahni shrugged and Randy just stared at her, then a slight flush started to creep into his face. Tahni giggled and looped her arms loosely around his neck, "It's quite sweet. I even videoed it. You kept saying 'Oh, Tahni…Oh, Tahni…I love yoooou.'" Randy glared at her. "Where's the tape?" Tahni grinned and Randy suddenly tipped her off his lap and started hunting the hotel room. Tahni squealed and took a running jump at him, landing on his back, but the extra weight didn't seem to bother him at all. He was too busy tearing the room apart. Tahni was giggling almost uncontrollably and eventually let go of her hold on Randy and fell onto the bed. She pulled him down beside her and shook her head, trying desperately to speak through her laughter, "T-…th-…there….there's…no…t-…tape." Randy growled at her, but she shut him up with a kiss. Abruptly he pulled away and looked at her, **"Wait, what?"**

There was no way of knowing what the future held for this strange girl, or where she was heading, but as long as it was as much fun as this, she really didn't mind.

* * *

**A/N: So, that's it. All done. I hope this was a satisfactory closing chapter for all you guys. As I said before (at some point) if we make it to 150 reviews, I will give that person a one-shot, if not, then that's cool too. I don't know when I'll be starting a new fic, but keep your eyes open because it'll be sure to pop up sooner of later. Thanks everyone for reading this, I hope you've enjoyed meeting and getting to know Tahni as much as I have :D Until next time!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Just a little note to say that, now both my running fics are finished,**

**there is a poll on my profile to decided which story a write next.**

**So, if you feel that way inclined, hop over and vote :D**

**Thanks for all the love,**

**you guys make my day!**

**x**


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